Graduate
by Cait Mur
Summary: Daryl Dixon dropped out of high school his junior year and never graduated. Now, he has a chance to get his GED with the help of a new tutor, Beth Greene. Pure AU Bethyl fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Graduate**

Chapter 1 - The Tutor

 _ **A/N:** My muse is being fickle. I know I'm crazy for having 3 stories going at once, but this one just wanted to come out. This is my first go at AU and I want to play with Daryl's character a little bit. Hope you like it. Please review! _

* * *

"Algebra, Physics, _French_?" Merle scoffed as he crumpled up Daryl's schedule he'd gotten in the mail from Dawsonville High School. He was sixteen. Merle was twenty-six, dishonorably discharged from the military a few days prior and had come home without another place to go. He was about to go back to prison.

Merle threw the ball of paper at Daryl's forehead, where it bounced off and landed at his feet. "You don't need any of that shit, baby brother," Merle laughed, showing his teeth.

Daryl shrugged. "I gotta take those classes so I can graduate," he mumbled.

"You can do whatever you want," Merle said, crossing his arms. "You don't need a fancy piece of paper, for people to tell you what you can and can't do. Just look at me!"

And Daryl did. He was his only role model. He just didn't know any better.

* * *

He worked odd jobs to keep himself afloat, but still lived at home with his old man and only spent money on food and gas to go visit Merle in prison.

"Whatta doin' now?" Merle would ask behind the glass, his voice muffled, dressed in his brown jumpsuit, the black phone against his ear.

"Just things here and there - fixin' cars, bikes - plumbin' jobs, things like that."

Merle would laugh and nod at him. "Look at you, all grown up," he would tease him. And Daryl would tinge pink, slightly glad that Merle was locked up.

When Merle got out a few months later, he moved back in with Daryl and their father. Things were okay for a while - Merle even got a job, but about a year later when Daryl was twenty-two and Merle was thirty-two, Will Dixon had a heart attack and died.

The Dixon brothers didn't love their father in the traditional sense, but he was still family and the only living relative they'd had left. Merle took Will's death harder than Daryl did, and that's when he started using. Merle always drank, smoked pot a bunch, did coke a few times here or there. It never seemed like much of a problem to Daryl. But then Merle found meth and boy, did he fall in love with that drug.

For a while, Daryl considered kicking him out, but he was his brother - he was all he had. He was blood. So he let him stay in the trailer he paid for and lent him money every day to get his fix. And finally, when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, Merle got locked up again.

* * *

The next time Daryl saw Merle, he was twenty-seven and had a decent job working at the gas station.

"Whatta doin' still workin' at this piece of shit place?" Merle asked him, cigarette between his lips. They sat inside the small gas station store on a pair of metal chairs. Daryl wondered how Merle thought it was a shit place - he'd only been back for a week and this was the first time he'd visited Daryl at work.

"I need the money to pay the mortgage on the trailer," Daryl said, then as Merle went to light the cigarette, he leaned forward and grabbed it from his lips. "You can't smoke in here, man, go outside."

Merle put his hands up and backed away. "Yes sir!" he shouted, sarcastically. Daryl rolled his eyes.

"You wanna have some fun?" Merle raised an eyebrow.

Intrigued, Daryl asked, "Whatta mean?"

"Blow this popsicle joint? Do some travelin'?" Merle always had a gift of making things sound better than they actually were. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash.

"Where'd you get that?" Daryl asked, his eyes widening.

Merle let out a low laugh. "Don't worry about it. Alls you need to know is that I can take care of you. Get rid of that crummy trailer, quit this dead end job - the Dixon brothers are gonna have some fun!"

Daryl like the idea of not working. He liked the idea of fun. He liked the idea of Merle supporting him for a bit because, what the fuck, Daryl had supported him his entire life. And so, against his better judgement, he followed his brother.

* * *

It definitely wasn't as fun as Merle said it would be.

Then ran out of money quick, on account of Merle's drug addiction. Daryl felt like a fool for trusting Merle. When had he ever been a stand up, truthful guy? Never. He couldn't believe he'd talked him into following him around.

So now he was working inside a convenience store where he had to wear a blue visor that said "Guy's Deli" on the front and print lottery tickets for a lot of impatient people who talked to him like he was stupid. The money barely covered rent for the room above the convenience store that Daryl and Merle shared. Merle spent most of the money on drugs. Daryl ate a lot of ramen.

And then, Merle got arrested and Daryl was alone again.

* * *

The next time Merle got out of prison, Daryl was thirty-five and Merle was forty-five and Daryl was working at a landscaping company that tended to the town homes in the nice part of town. He was living in a new apartment complex when Merle showed up on his doorstep with a box of whatever still belonged to him.

"How'd you get here?" Daryl asked.

"Took a cab," Merle responded and Daryl looked over his shoulder at the car that was idling in the parking lot. "Can you pick up the tab?" he grinned at his younger brother, pushing past him into the apartment.

Daryl sighed, taking out his wallet and walked over to the cabbie to pay him. He nodded his thanks and took off.

He sort of enjoyed having his older brother around for a while. Merle was clean and relatively neat and actually made a decent steak on the grill, so Daryl thought that things might finally settle down. Until one night Merle didn't come home.

When he finally did, his eyes were glazed and bloodshot. He was on edge and angry and mumbling about somebody stealing something, and so Daryl knew immediately that he'd fallen off the wagon again. It was the saddest thing in the world, to watch someone he once idolized, fall face first into their own mess, but Daryl watched Merle do it time and time again. And he always picked him back up.

"You goin' to meetings?" Daryl asked him over dinner, already knowing the answer.

"Fuck AA," Merle responded with a snort. "Nothin' but a cult of goodie-two-shoes. Not my crowd."

When Daryl brought home pamphlets for a rehab that was only an hours drive away, Merle shook his head and threw the pamphlet in the trash. "Fuck rehab," he said. "I don't wanna go to no fuckin' rehab."

And then he left. And Daryl told himself, that was the last time he'd ever help him.

* * *

He worked for a few months, saved up a good amount of money and then drove away towards a new town where he didn't know anyone. He wanted to start over. He wanted to be away from all the messes Merle had created.

Daryl got a new apartment and a job at the grocery store and things seemed to be going really well. He thought he might make it here. He thought he might build a life.

Glenn, the owner of the town's grocery called Daryl into his office one Thursday afternoon when his shift was done. Nervously, Daryl went into the back and opened the door slowly where Glenn was sitting behind a desk. When Daryl came in, he smiled. Daryl liked Glenn. His smile always reached his eyes.

"Come on and sit down," Glenn offered, pointing to a seat opposite from himself.

"Thanks," Daryl muttered.

"Daryl, you've been a wonderful employee here for the past few months. I wanted to see if you had any interest in a management position?" Glenn questioned and Daryl looked up at him, surprised.

"Management?" he asked. "Me?"

Glenn nodded. "Think you'd be a perfect fit."

"Wow," Daryl said. "I'd like that a lot." Man, what Merle would think of him now.

"I'd like to put you on a path to get you there - only thing," Glenn paused now, "is, we require a high school diploma or a GED for the position."

Daryl's face fell and he felt like he'd gotten punched in the gut. "Oh," he said a little sadly. "I ain't never graduated high school. Dropped out my junior year."

Glenn gave him a knowing look. "Well, I want you to finish. Get your GED. My sister in law, Beth is a tutor at the high school down the road. I've already asked if she'd be up to tutor you, so you can past the test. She's a great teacher."

Daryl turned the offer over in his mind. "That sounds great," he breathed, meaning it. "I sure would appreciate that. I don't know what to say."

Glenn waved his hand. "Don't say anything. It's nothing. We want to keep guys like you around. I want to see you succeed."

He felt better than he'd ever felt before. It was a real goal - something he'd wanted for a long time. And now, he felt like it was finally possible.

* * *

His first meeting with his new tutor was on a Saturday and Daryl got dressed hurriedly, not wanting to be late on his first day. He was tingling with excitement as he climbed onto his motorcycle parked in the lot next to his apartment.

The school was just down the road, as everything was in the small down he lived in. He loved this town, for the sheer fact that it was nothing like where he had come from. There wasn't a trailer in sight.

He'd always felt slighted for not graduating high school. He knew he wasn't stupid, but a little piece of paper meant a lot when he was out looking for a job. But now, someone believed in him and he was determined to make them proud.

His bike was loud and some of the kids who were on the playground for a bit of weekend play, pointed as he drove by. He smiled at that, remembering how fascinated he always had been by bikes when he was a kid. He thought one day he might have a kid and show them the ropes around motorcycles, but as the years had flown by, it seemed like much less of a possibility.

Parking the bike, he grabbed his helmet off his head and tucked it under his arm, straightening up a little bit and walking towards the door.

Glenn had told him to meet his sister-in-law in the cafeteria, so he followed the signs there. He wasn't sure what he expected, but he didn't expect _her_.

Beth was petite and blonde, smiley and giggly, talking to someone on her cell phone animatedly. Daryl stood in the door and watched her for a minute, unsure if that's who he was meant to be meeting, so he looked around the room to make sure it was just her in there.

It was.

Gathering his courage, he entered the room and cleared his throat as he came forward towards the table where she was sitting.

She spun around in her chair, her eyes meeting his - big, blue and gorgeous, and Daryl swallowed. Hard.

"Oh shoot," she giggled. "Gotta go," she said to whoever was on the other line and hung up the phone. Then, she stood up and offered an outstretched hand to him. "Daryl?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he grumbled nervously, shaking her hand. Daryl wasn't necessarily bad with women, he just didn't go out of his way to talk to them. "That's me."

"Nice to meet you," she said with a grin. "You ride?" She pointed to his arm.

Daryl looked down at his helmet. "Oh," he said, surprised that she noticed. "Yeah."

"Cool," she said with a nod, sitting back in her seat. "My brother does too."

Daryl sat down in a chair next to her, placing his helmet to the side, looking at what she'd spread out. She'd thrown her purse across the table haphazardly and Daryl saw her phone sticking out of it, covered in a hot pink case. She had a "Preparation for the GED Test" book on the table, along with a few notepads and pencils.

He looked at her next, long, milky white arms, sprinkled with freckles and thin fingers. He couldn't help but notice that she had an engagement ring on her ring finger - he couldn't miss it. He felt initial disappointment and then scolded himself. He could never give a girl something like that - he could barely pay his own bills on time, so who the hell was he kidding.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Dixon_ , he said inwardly, as he picked up a pencil in his hands.

"So," Beth said. "Glenn tells me you're his best employee. He must really like you!"

"That's awful nice," Daryl said with a nod. "I just try to do my best."

"Well then, this will be easy. If you do your best here, I'm sure you'll pass this test in no-time." She placed her hand on his arm and he almost jumped out of his seat. "Ready to get started?"

Daryl nodded slightly, taking a deep breath. "I am."


	2. Chapter 2

**Graduate**

Chapter 2 - Synchronicity

* * *

Beth returned home after her tutoring lesson late in the afternoon. The one-bedroom apartment she lived in with Jimmy was quaint and modest. He'd bought her a ring almost a year ago and they'd moved in together straight after, but they were still miles away from planning a wedding.

She'd tried, but Jimmy didn't seem interested. Work was busy. They didn't have enough money. Maybe she wanted to finish college first. Buy a dog first, anything but plan a wedding.

Beth had to admit, she agreed with finishing college before getting married, but _planning_ seemed relatively harmless. So instead, she'd picked up the tutoring gig to keep herself busy and fill the time. Jimmy worked constantly as an investment banker in Atlanta, so she kept to herself for the most part and was always pleased to pick up a new student.

However, Daryl Dixon was unlike any other student she'd had before. He was hard to read, and she almost wasn't sure she liked him because of how rough around the edges he seemed to be, but Glenn was fond of him and anyone Glenn was fond of, Beth would be fond of too. He was a hard worker, she had to give him that, and he seemed eager to learn.

She hadn't been able to ask him much - where he'd come from, why he never graduated, but she thought maybe next weekend she would. Maybe next weekend she'd pry a little more and get to know him better. He was kind of intriguing, she thought to herself as she made her way into the apartment building. But the thought drifted away, because Jimmy was home when she got there.

Jimmy Reed was tall and handsome and he had a good job and he was a decent man. That's what Beth had learned. They were high school sweethearts and he was the only boyfriend she'd ever had. He wasn't perfect, sure - but he was Jimmy and she loved him.

Three years out of high school, Beth had started to get restless. She wasn't proud of it, but she wanted to know that things were going somewhere and so she'd asked him to buy her a ring, and he had, at her request. A big one, with all that money he made, traveling into Atlanta at all hours of the week and even on the weekends.

He'd asked her at the farm, kneeling in that ever traveling dirt that picked up in the slightest wind, coughing between words and she'd been so ecstatic that she'd said yes before he'd even finished saying what he needed to say. Maggie and Glenn had helped them pick an apartment and Beth had decorated it all herself to try and make it into a home.

Tonight, he was on the couch in front of the television, a few beers deep and she flew through the door, depositing her bag on the floor and climbed next to him on the sofa. "Hi," she breathed, cozying up to him.

"Hey," Jimmy grunted, not looking at her. Football was on in the background and he was heavily concentrated on it. And that was okay, she understood he how much he loved the silly sport.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Fine," he responded dully, taking another swig of beer.

"Had my tutorin' lesson," Beth commented. "It went really well."

"Mmhmm," Jimmy responded, uninterested in what she was saying.

"Got this new student that Glenn introduced me to. I think he's gonna do really well."

"Sure," Jimmy responded. "Great."

"Even got through a few practice tests today and he did really well," she commented. "Surprised even himself. It was really excitin'."

"Beth," Jimmy said sternly, and she picked her head up from his shoulder .

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Can this wait until half time?" he asked, a little sheepishly. "I just wanna watch the game. Can't concentrate."

"Oh!" Beth said, practically jumping up from the couch. "Sorry."

"Aw, it's okay Beth," Jimmy said condescendingly, like he was talking to a five year old.

Beth didn't say anything else. This was just how Jimmy was about football, she rationalized to herself. Silently, she got up from the couch, disappeared into the kitchen, found a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge and poured herself a glass.

But Jimmy didn't come talk to her during half time. He didn't come talk to her at the end of the game either. He'd fallen asleep in the couch and Beth had a second glass of wine before she wandered off to bed, alone.

* * *

Beth normally shopped at the small, local grocery store that Glenn and Maggie owned. It was right down the street from the apartment so she could walk over to do her shopping. Jimmy and her shared a car, though Jimmy needed it most days to get to work, so usually Beth just walked or rode her bike around town.

The lot of the store was relatively empty, spare a motorcycle and a few cars, indicating it wasn't very busy. Beth didn't see Glenn's car in the lot as she came around to the front of the store, so she assumed he must have been home with Maggie and her nephew, Hershel Jr.

A cold breeze of air conditioning swept over her as she came through the door right into the produce section. Today she only needed three things: apples, chicken and rice. She saw him immediately, Daryl, stocking the meat shelf in the back with chicken legs and breasts and thighs. He wore an apron over his chest and his short hair was swept to the side, sticking to his face in places from sweat. She had never noticed him in the store before even though Glenn said he'd worked here for a few months.

She came in quickly, busying herself with collecting some apples, putting them carefully into a plastic bag, her eyes flicking up to Daryl as she picked her fruit. He looked different than he had the other day. He wore a sleeveless shirt that made Beth tinge pink as her eyes traveled up his ridiculous arm muscles. She thought of Jimmy's arms, thin and feeble and was immediately horrified at herself that she was having such thoughts.

She straightened up a little, going towards the aisle with the rice, grabbing a bag and tucking it carefully under her arm. Then, she went towards the meat case, a little nervous, though she couldn't put her finger on why. He was just her student. Her _new_ student, she reminded herself. She barely knew the man.

When Beth reached the case, she reached for the package of chicken, looking to the side over at Daryl, who wiped his forehead with his arm and stared at the display of meat proudly.

"Looks nice," she said with a smile.

He looked up at her, a little surprised and grinned sheepishly. "Thanks. How're you today Beth?" he asked.

"Good," she said, choosing a package of chicken. She wouldn't realize it until she started making dinner later, but it was the wrong type of chicken she had wanted. She tried to tell herself that she hadn't been distracted, but she knew that wasn't the truth. "Just getting a few things for dinner."

"Whatta makin'?" Daryl asked curiously.

"Chicken and rice, and apple strudel for dessert."

"Sounds delicious," he said genuinely.

"Thanks," Beth said with a nod. "I love to cook."

"Wish I did," Daryl said. "Usually just throw somethin' on a grill."

"Nothin' wrong with that," Beth responded. "I best be on my way though - leave you to work."

Daryl nodded. "It was good to see you. See you again on Saturday?"

"Saturday," Beth repeated. "Bye Daryl."

It might have been one of the shortest conversations Beth had ever had in her life, but she thought about it for the rest of the day.

* * *

She ran into Daryl again that week, ahead of their lesson that weekend.

Beth was an English major at the local community college. The school wasn't much - it wasn't as fancy as a state school, but she could afford it and she was able to take the bus there that picked her up right in front of her apartment building. She knew Jimmy didn't take the degree seriously, but he didn't have a say in it because she was paying for it all on her own, from money she had saved up working a part-time job in high school.

Today was Thursday and Beth followed her usual routine. After her 10:30 Shakespeare class, she picked up the bus back into town and walked to her favorite sandwich place, owned by a woman named Carol who made the best food in all of northern Georgia - or at least Beth was convinced she did.

The small cafe had tables and chairs set up outside, with tall, orange umbrellas shielding customers out of the sun. Beth wandered into the store, her stomach rumbling from all the delicious smells that filled the air. Bacon, melted cheese, fresh cookies, coffee. Her mouth was already watering.

"Hey Beth!" Carol called happily over the counter as the door closed behind her.

"Hiya Carol," Beth said with a grin, coming towards her.

Carol Peletier was tall and petite, similar to Beth, with a short, silver haircut and a smile on her face. Beth knew she was in the middle of divorce from her husband Ed, who was an incredibly unpleasant man, but regardless, Carol always seemed to be in a good mood.

"What'll ya have today?" Carol asked.

"Hmm," Beth said, looking at the menu above the counter. "I think I'll have a turkey club."

"You got it," Carol said with a wink, turning away to get started on her order. When Beth turned around, away from the counter, she saw him again. He stuck out, sitting at the table and chairs inside the small shop, though not in a bad way. He was drinking a soda and eating a burger with fries, scrolling absentmindedly through his cell phone. Beth noticed he had a little bit of ketchup on the sides of his mouth.

She smiled immediately, striding over towards his table. "Well, long time no see!"

He looked up at her, wiping his mouth hastily with the back of his hand. "Hi Beth," he said gruffly. "How are you?"

"Good," she replied. "Just finished my Shakespeare class at school. Always come here on Thursdays to grab a sandwich afterwards, before I go home." She had no idea why she was telling him all of these details about her life. There was no way he'd care.

He nodded anyway, politely. "Been here a few times now since I got into town. They make a mean burger."

Beth grinned. "Yeah, they do. Carol's the best cook in town. The best cook in Georgia!" she exclaimed.

"You're too sweet, Beth," Carol called behind her, coming to the counter with her plate.

Beth turned, fumbling in her purse for cash to give Carol, letting her keep the whole ten dollars, despite Carol's protests, and then scanned the store for a table to sit at. All of the tables seemed to be full, so with a burst of confidence, she went back over to Daryl and asked, "Mind if I sit with you?"

He shook his head, pulling his plate back towards himself on the small table. "Not at all," he replied.

"Are you on your lunch break?" Beth asked, taking a seat.

Daryl shook his head. "No, I have off today. Thursdays and Saturdays are my days off. Well, maybe not Saturdays anymore," he said and Beth gave a laugh at that.

"I'll try to go easy on you," she said with a wink, biting into her sandwich.

"Nah, don't. I can take it," Daryl joked.

"So what are you doin' today then?" Beth asked curiously, in between bites.

"Not much of anythin'," Daryl said. "Probably gonna take a walk over to the bookstore later, see if there's any GED practice books I should be gettin'."

"I'll come with you!" Beth offered eagerly, wondering if she should have even offered in the first place. "I mean, I can help you pick one out…if you want." She couldn't read him. Daryl sort of just stared at her, chewing on his lip, like he wasn't sure what to say.

"You don't gotta come," he said slowly. "I mean, you probably have other things to be doin', rather than helpin' me. You only need to be my tutor on Saturdays."

"It's on my way home actually," she admitted with a small smile. "I'd love to come with you."

And so she did. She found out that Daryl hadn't graduated high school because he had always been needing to work to pay the bills. School just sort of got lost in the shuffle. He was from up in the mountains in Georgia, from a "redneck town you probably never heard of." (His words, not hers.)

It was just him and his brother for a while now - his dad had died of a heart attack a while back and his mother had passed away when he was just a boy. He'd moved away from where he was from for a change of scenery. Or something like that. But Beth could tell there was more. Much more underneath his story he had told her, but she didn't want to be rude and pry, so she listened eagerly to everything he told her. He seemed to be a man of few words.

When he asked about her, Beth felt like she didn't have much to share. Just that she was engaged to Jimmy and she lived in an apartment and went to community college and tutored in her spare time. She had a few friends scattered around town, but all in all, she led a fairly simple life.

"When are you gettin' married?" Daryl asked her after they'd left the bookstore with a brand new book of practice tests for Daryl. They were standing next to his motorcycle, parked in a lot behind the cafe, and he was stuffing the books into a small backpack.

It was a loaded question, but how could he have known that? Beth swallowed, her ears turning pink as she answered, "I don't know. Well, we haven't set a date or anything like that. Jimmy wants to wait until I graduate."

"Oh," Daryl said, a little awkwardly, putting the backpack over his shoulders. "Well, do you want a ride home?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Oh no, that's okay," she said quickly. "I live in Twin Gardens, just up the road here."

Daryl smiled. "Even better. It's on my way. Hop on."

Beth had been on motorcycles before, but it had only been with her brother Shawn. She looked at the massive machine apprehensively, before looking back at Daryl. "Yeah?" she questioned.

"Yeah. You can wear my helmet," he offered. "It's only a few minutes drive."

She bit her lip before nodding at him. _Why the hell not?_

He handed over his full-face helmet and she slipped it carefully over her head. It smelled like man - a mix of cologne and sweat, a musky sort of smell and it made her head spin. Daryl got onto the bike first and Beth climbed on behind him, gently placing her hands at his sides, the backpack sitting awkwardly between them.

"You're gonna wanna hold on a little tighter," he called over his shoulder, so she tightened her grip, though she couldn't help the squeeze she gave him as they started moving. It was thrilling, the movement of the bike - the air flying around them together, connected by her arms around him. She let her fingers lay flat against his strong chest and even as they eased into a pace on the road, she didn't loosen her grip.

Daryl hadn't lied - the trip was short and they came into the Twin Gardens parking lot rather quickly. He stopped right in front of the building, letting his feet fall to the road to steady the bike for her. She swung her leg over the side and hopped off, trying to regain her balance, then tugged the helmet off her head, feeling her hair fly all over the place. She handed it back to Daryl, who tucked it underneath his arm.

"Thanks for the ride, Daryl," Beth said with a smile. "See you soon."

He gave a wave, before putting the helmet over his own head and Beth wondered if he could smell her too.

To her surprise, when she turned around, Jimmy was standing on the sidewalk, narrowing his eyes at her. Her stomach curled into a knot. There was nothing wrong with what she had done. Getting lunch and going to a store with another person who was one of her students, wasn't a crime, but she knew, deep down in the pit of her stomach that Jimmy wouldn't be pleased.

"Who the hell was that?" he asked her in an aggressive sort of tone when she came towards him.

"Oh that?" Beth said casually, walking towards their downstairs apartment door. "That's Daryl - the student I was telling you about?"

"Do you usually get motorcycle rides from men you don't know?" Jimmy asked.

"He's my _student_ ," Beth stressed, taking out her key from her pocket. "What are you doing home anyway? I thought you were working late."

He didn't want to drop the subject. "Motorcycles are dangerous, Beth."

She popped the door open. "It was a two-minute ride. And he gave me his helmet."

"Well, ain't that awfully nice," Jimmy said, malice dripping from his words. "I don't want to see you ridin' around on that motorcycle anymore."

She didn't fight him on it, when he closed the door behind himself. Beth had learned to choose her battles with Jimmy very carefully. He wasn't someone who was content with not getting their way.

"I need a shower," Beth said absentmindedly as Jimmy deposited himself on the sofa, kicking off his shoes and turning on the television.

"Grab me a beer?" he called from the living room, and Beth obeyed, cracking open a Yuengling for him, still wondering if Daryl could smell her scent on his helmet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Graduate**

Chapter 3 - Friends

* * *

On Saturday, Daryl woke up just as the sun started peeking through his window. He sat up in his bed, turning from left to right to try and crack his back, then did the same with his chin to try and crack his neck. Maybe he needed a new mattress, he thought. He was tired of waking up with a stiff back.

His apartment wasn't much to write home about. Small bedroom with a little closet. A cramped bathroom with hideous, puke green tile and a stacked washer and dryer behind a pull-back wooden door. A narrow hallway led to the front where he had a living room with a comfortable leather couch and a TV, a wire rack full of his favorite DVD's, as well as a kitchen he used mainly for pouring cereal and microwaving frozen meals. His favorite part of the place was the small balcony he had, where he was able to keep a grill and a table and chair for himself if he wanted to take a quick smoke break. It wasn't much, but it was _his_ and only his.

He rolled out of bed, feet hitting the floor, and then he remembered. He had his tutoring lesson today. He was going to see _her_.

Beth.

She was young, Daryl knew that, he wasn't stupid. Still in college and engaged to some guy with a big fancy job in the city. But there was no harm in looking at her. No harm in being friends She was a sweet little thing - gentle and nice and smelled real good, like vanilla.

Daryl didn't have a lot of friends in town. Glenn had been kind to him, but he was his manager. The sheriff, Rick was a really nice guy - they'd gone for beers a few times with Rick's friend Shane, but Daryl knew Rick had a wife and two kids at home. Getting beers with Daryl wasn't on the top of his "to-do" list. And Dale, who he worked with, was great to talk to, but he was a good bit older than Daryl. He thought it might do him good to hang out with someone new. Might do him good to be friends with Beth. There was no harm in that right? Friends?

Friends. He nodded the word to himself in the bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth that morning. He and Beth were friends.

* * *

He had been early, but it was a good ways past 10:30 now and Beth was nowhere in sight. He was starting to get anxious. Maybe she decided she didn't want to tutor him anymore. Maybe she didn't like that he'd driven her home on his motorcycle. Maybe he'd said something wrong at lunch. But then he told himself to stop getting all worked up. It was instinct for him, but he was getting better at trying to turn it off.

And then, the door to the cafeteria flew open, slamming against the wall with a _clang_ and Beth ran in, flushed and frazzled, hurrying to the table. Daryl stood up by instinct.

"I am _so_ sorry," Beth breathed, trying to catch her breath. "I woke up late and then I had to get ready, but my bike had a flat tire, so then I had to walk here." She gulped for air. "Run here," she corrected herself. "I'm so sorry Daryl. I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"No way," Daryl lied. "Wasn't waiting long at all. Don't apologize."

"I should have been here on time." Her face was so red. He could tell she felt terrible, but he didn't know why. He felt bad that she felt bad.

"Listen Beth, I didn't know you didn't have a car - I can pick you up on the way here if you want," Daryl offered. "Take you home too."

Beth waved her hand. "Oh god, Daryl, you don't have to do that. I can ride my bike just fine - just gotta get the damn tire fixed."

"Let me at least take you home today. So you don't have to walk," he said seriously.

She thought about it for a minute, debating the offer in her head and he wondered if maybe she didn't really want to be her friend, just her tutor, but she nodded her head slowly and said, "Yeah. Okay. That'd be nice. Thanks."

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. Happy to do it."

And then she smiled at him. It was weird to Daryl, the amount of warmth her smile filled him with. People smiled at him plenty - but not like Beth. When Beth smiled, it was like the room filled up with sunshine, and she radiated happiness and he would feel the sides of his mouth turn up slightly and he too, would smile, without really being able to help himself.

They sat down then and dove into the GED books, working on all the different sections, taking practice tests every so often. Beth guided him, but gave him enough leeway where he figured out his own mistakes. He felt pretty good about that. He felt like he was making progress. For the first time in his life, he felt _smart_.

When they were done, Beth collected their pencils and the little pads of papers and Daryl packed his books in his backpack and he looked at her, as she tucked her hair behind her ear. God, she was something to look at. But that's all, Daryl told himself. Just look. And not for too long.

"Thanks," Daryl grumbled, and she looked up with another one of those dazzling smiles.

"For what?" she asked curiously. Innocently. So fucking innocent.

"Your help." He looked away from her then and reached into his backpack. He'd written her a check and he went to hand it to her. "Here," he said. "So I don't forget."

"Oh!" She flushed pink again, looking at the check he was handing her, almost looking like she wouldn't take it. So instead, he tucked it into that overflowing purse of hers, then stepped back in satisfaction.

"You ready to go?" he asked and she nodded.

"Wait," she said suddenly, grabbing a pen and a pad of paper she had out on the table. "One more thing." And she scrubbed something down on a piece of paper. "Here."

Daryl took it in his hands and opened it. It read, _Beth Greene 404-234-5475._ Her number. He looked at her over the piece of paper.

"If I'm ever late again," she explained. "In case you need to reach me." The tips of her ears were red again. He wondered if she always flushed like this or if it was only with him.

"Thanks," he said, folding it up carefully and putting it in his pocket.

They walked out of the school together and when they reached his motorcycle, Beth gave it an apprehensive look, like she had the first time, but he noticed, as they climbed on, she was much more confident getting that helmet on and swinging her leg over to hop on.

She was such a tiny thing behind him, he barely felt her. But her hands on his chest were warm and light and gentle and when she touched him, he wondered what she'd feel like touching other parts of him. He squashed the thought immediately, when he looked down and saw that big ring on her finger. It wasn't right to think of her that way. They were _friends_ , he reminded himself. Friends.

The ride was too short, Daryl thought as he stopped the bike and let her hop off. She handed him back the helmet so he could slip it back over his own head and they nodded and mumbled their goodbyes, before he slipped it on. It smelled just like vanilla and butter and sugar - sweet, just like her. He watched her as she left him, sad to see her go.

* * *

On the way to work the next day, Daryl saw her again, struggling on the sidewalk with her damn bike, trying to roll it on one wheel to the repair shop which Daryl knew was just beyond the grocery store.

He stopped his motorcycle, pulling over to the side of the road, parking it in a street parking spot, and tugged off his helmet to look at her. She was flushed again, a little sweaty.

"Hey Beth," he said getting her attention. He hopped off the bike and jogged over to her. She looked up at him sheepishly.

"Hi Daryl." She was out of breath. "Just goin' to get my bike fixed."

Daryl didn't know why, but he was furious that her husband-to-be hadn't given her a ride to the repair shop. Made her lug this heavy ass bike all the way to the repair shop. He wasn't sure he liked him all that much. But then he reminded himself, Beth didn't care if he liked him or not. His opinion didn't matter.

"You need some help?" he asked, pushing his thoughts aside.

"Oh, it's just a ways up the road," she panted. "I can make it."

"Let me help you," he said, taking the bike from her. He hoisted it up easily, with one arm.

Beth seemed like she didn't know what to say as she walked next to him, looking up at him gratefully. But this was what friends did, right? He was being friendly. He was just helping her. He might be a little late to work, but Glenn would understand. He was helping his _friend_ Beth, get her bike over to the shop to get fixed.

The reached the shop much more quickly than Beth would have rolling the bicycle on one wheel and Daryl placed the broken thing back on the ground so she could grab it.

"Daryl," she said shaking her head. "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it," he said quickly. "Gotta run so I can get to work," he stood awkwardly in front of her.

"Oh shoot, I'm so sorry if I made you late, I—"

Daryl waved his hand. "Seriously, it's no problem Beth. Glenn will understand. I'll see you later, okay?"

And she nodded.

* * *

The grocery was busy that day so Daryl's shift went by fairly quickly. Most of the customers that came into the store were regulars, but sometimes they had the odd person who had been a Kroger grocery shopper for a long time and just happened to pass by. Usually, Daryl was happy to say, they came back the next week and the week after that (and so on) to do their shopping.

Glenn ran the store well. He took care of his small staff, keeping them happy, always doing what he could to help them out. Keeping their customers happy was always first priority at the store. Dale was the only manager at the store, but he was looking to retire soon, so Glenn really needed someone to run the store when he was out. Daryl was honored that he had thought of him to take Dale's place.

Daryl did everything at the store. Stocked the shelves, worked the register, even helped put out samples for the demo center at the back of the store. For some customers, he would even carry out their groceries to their car. It was the first job he'd worked at that he really loved. Daryl would never admit it to anyone, but he really liked interacting with customers.

When his shift was over he took off his apron and went through to the back of the store where Glenn's office was situated. Throwing the apron over his arm, he peeked his head in to Glenn's office and gave a small wave. "See you tomorrow Glenn," he said gruffly.

Glenn was working on something at his desk but looked up when he heard Daryl's voice. "Oh, see you later Daryl!" he exclaimed. "Hey," he said, stopping Daryl as he turned around. "Uh, Beth was outside in the parking lot. She was waiting for you for when your shift was over."

"Oh," Daryl said, trying to gauge Glenn's comment. He hoped Glenn didn't think anything was going on between he and Beth. He hoped he knew they were just friends. He wondered if he should tell him that. That they were _friends_. Maybe that would make it look worse. Regardless, he couldn't help the smile that crept to his face at the mention of Beth's name. "I helped her with her bike before," he tried to explain.

Glenn nodded, looking back down at the desk, totally unperturbed. "Ah," he breathed. "She's a little stubborn, that girl. Nice of you to help her."

"No big deal," Daryl said, trying to sound casual. "See you later." And Glenn waved back at him.

He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to give a subtle sniff at his armpits. Had he put on enough deodorant this morning? He didn't seem to stink too much, so that was good. Though, working at the grocery often gave a certain kind of smell that wasn't necessarily appealing to anyone.

Nevertheless, he walked through to the front door, eager to see her - that face. That smile. Her long blonde locks that fell over her slender shoulders. He almost ran out the front door.

The heat of the day hit him like a brick and he slowed, shielding his eyes as he went to the parking lot. The sun was bright - almost blinding. It was one of those dreadfully hot days where you couldn't breathe. He wondered why she would wait out here for him when she knew very well she could have waited inside with Glenn.

As he came around to the lot, she was there, leaning against the wall of the building, next to his motorcycle which he had gone back to get before coming in to work his shift, with her own bike, on her cell phone again, talking to someone. He stopped and looked at her for a minute. She _was_ a sight.

She wore a pair of sunglasses and had her hair tied behind her head, high, in a ponytail. She had a pair of daisy dukes on that revealed long, slender legs - her feet tucked neatly into a pair of flip flops. Her shirt was loose, made from a pattern of flowers that hung off her frame delicately. As he came closer, her saw that she had a bit of sunburn, just on the tip of her nose. It was - there was no other word for it - adorable.

She looked up as he started walking towards her and he heard her say, "Gotta go Mags," and hang up the phone. He stopped just beside her, unsure if he was too close or not and gave her a smile. She returned one, stuffing her phone into her pocket.

"Hi," she said to him.

"Hey," he grumbled. "Glenn told me you were out here - you coulda come in."

"Oh," she shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's nice to be outside," she said. He wondered if she was lying, noticing a layer of sweat on her upper lip.

"What's up?" he asked curiously. "Need to cancel our tutorin' session?"

"No," Beth shook her head. She flushed pink suddenly and was fiddling with her hands, fingers intertwined, feeling her knuckles. "I was um," she stopped, looking like she was trying to regain her train of thought. "I wanted to say thank you, for helping me with my bike."

"It was really no big—"

She cut him off. "Doyouwanttocomeoverfordinnertomorrownight?"

"Huh?" he asked, trying to decipher her mumbling.

She took a deep breath. "Want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?" she asked, more slowly this time. "I want to say thank you and I just thought, maybe I could make you some dinner." She shrugged. "Please?"

Daryl wanted to laugh. "Sure," he replied immediately. Dinner sounded nice. Dinner sounded sort of casual. It sounded _friendly_. Right?

"Jimmy will be there," she added quickly. "And Glenn and Maggie too," she said. _Fifth wheel. Great_ , he thought inwardly. But he couldn't go back now. He'd already said he'd come.

"Sounds great," he said honestly. Everything with Beth sounded great, even dinner at her home with her fiancé. They were _friends_ and _friends_ met each other's fiancés and ate dinner at each others houses and that kind of stuff.

"Okay," Beth said, letting a deep breath go. "I'll see you at seven tomorrow, okay?" she asked, moving to climb on her bike.

Daryl nodded towards her. "See you tomorrow," he said, and she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Graduate**

Chapter 4 - Dinner

 ** _A/N:_** _Sigh. I need(ed) an escape from the world today. I'll probably be writing all night, hiding in my little TWD world. Ha. As always, thank you guys so much for the likes, follows and faves. I have a whole outline for this story, should be around 15-16 chapters but who the heck knows. My muse has been all over the place lately. I can promise it will be very fluffy and light. Thanks so much for reading and please leave a review!_

* * *

" _I'm sorry Beth,"_ Maggie was saying to her over the phone. She was genuinely hysterical. " _Hershel's fever is up to 102 and I just can't leave him with the sitter. He's never had a fever this high before._ "

"It's _fine_ ," Beth stressed, circling her kitchen island, hair pulled up behind her head, a few annoying strands falling into her face, and an embarrassingly frilly apron over a white sundress she had chosen to wear. "I'll save you some leftovers, okay?"

" _Okay,_ " Maggie replied. Beth heard a cry in the background and frowned. " _Sorry, I gotta go. Have fun for me. Love you."_

"Love you too," Beth replied, hanging up her phone.

She placed the device on the counter and looked over at her black stove where a full chicken was roasting in the oven, green beans were boiling on the stove and she was standing in front of a bowl with half-mashed potatoes. She let a breath go, throwing her head back in a bit of frustration.

Jimmy had texted her no more than an hour ago to tell her he'd be working late. Again. And there went her dinner plans, right out the window. Now, the only person coming to eat with her was Daryl.

Shit.

Panicked, she glanced at the digital clock on the microwave that was situated above her oven. 6:35. Was it too late to cancel? (Did she really want to cancel?) Beth's eyes averted to the meal she'd cooked. All this food. At least if Daryl was here, it wouldn't go to waste.

And then, her anxiety skyrocketed at the thought of Daryl here, with his big stupid, gleaming biceps, in her apartment, alone with her. She squeezed her eyes shut, like she could squeeze the thought away. She had no idea why she was thinking these things about Daryl. He was a regular man with a regular life. Nothing special about him. She had _Jimmy_ to think about anyway, and he was a perfectly fine man, thank you very much.

Feeling frustrated, she went back to the potatoes, needing a distraction, and mashed the rest of them (a little aggressively,) adding a bit of fresh garlic, melted butter and cream. Even if she was only feeding one person, she was still determined to make a damn good meal.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Startled, she looked at the clock. 6:40. Her eyes moved back to the door and she was suddenly very, very aware of herself, her clothes, her hair in her face, her heart jumping out of her ribcage. She wished she could calm down.

Smoothing her apron, she went for the door, steadying her hands before she turned the handle. When she pulled the door back, Daryl came into view - tall, broad and burly, dressed in plain jeans and a classic black button-down shirt. His hair was short and damp, like he'd just taken a shower and he was holding a crumpled brown bag. Inside, she assumed at first glance, was a bottle of wine.

"Hi," he said in that deep voice of his. She was always surprised how deep it was when he spoke. "Hope I'm not too early."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "Not at all," she said, finding her words, holding the door for him and moving aside so he could step over the threshold.

"Smells good," he commented as he came inside. He smelled like fresh soap and peppermint with a hint of cigarette smoke. He'd cleaned up before he'd gotten here. "Oh," he held out the brown bag to her. "This is for you…and your fiancé," he said awkwardly.

"Oh Daryl, thank you. You didn't have to bring anything - I wanted to have you over to thank you!" she said in one breath, grabbing the brown bag. It was heavier than she expected and when she pulled it out she realized it was a thin whiskey bottle, not wine, and smiled at her surprise. Her eyes looked back at him and he was looking at her curiously. "Do you want some?" she asked, holding the bottle up in her hand. Beth didn't really drink hard liquor, but given how awkward she anticipated this night might be, tonight was as good as any.

"Sure," Daryl shrugged.

As she turned away from him, opening the bottle, she casually commented, "Glenn and Maggie aren't comin' tonight. And Jimmy had to work late. So," she paused, placing the bottle at the counter and going to the cupboard for two glasses. "Looks like it's just us."

"Oh," he said and she tried to decipher his answer. The response had been simple enough. Nonchalant. Casual. Maybe he didn't care either way. She wasn't sure how she expected him to react. Behind her, she heard him sit himself in a chair at her dining room table.

She reached to her freezer for a few ice cubes and dumped them in the two glasses she'd set out. Then, she poured the whiskey over the ice. The frozen cubes cracked underneath the warmth of the booze. The liquid smelled strong, a little sweet, almost intoxicating and Beth took both glasses, swirling them in her hands, letting the ice clink from side to side.

"Hope you like chicken," she said, bringing the drinks over towards Daryl.

He was sitting at her dining room table, lounged back, ankles crossed over one another, arms crossed over his chest, watching her. She handed him the drink. "Yeah," he responded with a nod, leaning forward. "Chicken sounds great." He took one of the glasses from her.

"Cheers?" she suggested, holding out her glass, and Daryl did the same, tapping her glass with his own. She smiled. She couldn't help herself.

"Cheers," he echoed, then took a swig, swallowing with a satisfied "Mmm."

Beth lifted the glass to her own lips. The whiskey was aromatic, the strong smell burning her nostrils. She took a sip anyway, devouring the liquor quickly, the deep brown drink scorching her throat as it went down. It felt unnatural, but the warmth came next, from deep in her belly, up through her esophagus, calming her instantly. She liked that feeling, so she took another sip.

"You like whiskey?" Daryl asked, putting his glass on the table.

"I've…" she paused, a little embarrassed. "I've never had it before, actually."

He nodded. "Well, this one's the only good whiskey I know of…" he sort of trailed off and Beth hoped he didn't think she didn't like his gift.

"It's lovely," she replied genuinely.

"How come Glenn and Maggie couldn't make it?" Daryl asked. Was he trying to make small talk? Or was he upset they weren't here? Inwardly, she chided herself for overthinking everything he was saying as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Their son has a fever," Beth said, putting on her oven mitts to take the chicken out of the oven. "Couldn't leave him with the sitter." She opened the oven door and took out their meal. Daryl was right, it did smell good.

"Ah," he said, then she heard him get up and come towards her. "Anything I can help with?" She turned around to look at him. He was at her kitchen island now, standing, his hands in his pockets, genuinely looking like he wanted to help. "I can carve us some chicken?" he suggested.

"You don't have to—do that —carve the—I can do it," she replied, stumbling over her words.

"Where do you keep your knives?" he asked, ignoring her protests.

She put her hands on her hips, staring at him curiously _._ She couldn't remember the last time Jimmy had helped her in the kitchen. Had he ever helped her in the kitchen? "There," she pointed to a knife holder block next to her oven and he moved closer towards her in the kitchen.

"Cutting board?" he asked.

She went for a cabinet and pulled out a wooden cutting board, placing it next to the stove. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as Daryl pulled the chicken from it's roasting dish, placed it on the cutting board and took a knife to it. She smiled again. That was the second time. Not that she was keeping count or anything.

Beth busied herself with getting the rest of the plates prepared. Green beans. Fresh, mashed potatoes and finally, she brought them over, flat on her palms to Daryl and he deposited the steaming, sliced chicken on each plate. He gave her a little grin and their eyes met. Her stomach felt like it was going to come through her mouth.

"Looks delicious," he said with a nod, then dropped the knife and went back to the table, grabbing Beth's glass of whiskey and the bottle along the way.

They sat at the table together, plates full, in front of each other. Beth looked down at herself and realized she still hadn't taken her apron off. Flustered, she tugged it over her head and draped it over the back of her chair. Daryl picked up his fork.

"Wait," Beth said slowly. "We gotta say grace."

"Oh," Daryl said, dropping his fork next to the plate quickly. "Sorry."

Beth folded her hands together, as she'd done every day since she was a child, before every single meal she ate, no matter how dumb Jimmy thought it was, no matter where they were eating their meals - she thought it was important to say. Jimmy never participated - always dove into dinner before she'd even finished, but she saw Daryl mimic her movements, folding his hands next to her and bowing his head, eyes closed, next to her.

Her stomach was still in her throat.

She squeezed her eyes closed. "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." When she opened her eyes, she saw that Daryl was watching her through one squinted eye. She smiled again.

Dinner tasted great, if she did say so herself. The chicken was moist, the beans were crunchy and the mashed potatoes were just the right amount of creamy. Daryl and her barely spoke through dinner, which was okay because Momma always taught her that meant people enjoyed their meal (Dinners were often quiet at the Greene household.)

"Wow," Daryl said, scooping the last of his mashed potatoes onto his fork and into his mouth. "This was amazin'. Thank you."

Beth waved her hand, tending to her abandoned whiskey which was now diluted with melted ice. "Glad you liked it. Now we're even for you helpin' me with my bike."

She'd noticed that Daryl's glass had already been emptied, so she grabbed the bottle and poured him another round. "Thanks," he said.

She took a sip herself. The liquor was going down much easier now, so she drained the rest of it in one gulp and poured another glass. She knew she'd be buzzed. Maybe even drunk, but she just didn't care. She realized, suddenly, how mad she was at Jimmy for not showing up again. How confused she felt about Daryl being here, in her house. How aware she was that they were so very alone. And she wondered if he was aware of it too.

"So," she slurred a little, sitting back in her chair. God, she was a lightweight. She made an effort to cross her legs, knowing she still had a dress on. "What brought you to Dalton?"

Daryl took another sip of his drink. "Nothin' really," he said. "Just needed to get away."

"From what?"

"My past." He said it with a bit of finality. "How 'bout you?" he asked. He wanted to change the subject. And that was fine. Beth wanted to know more about him, but she wasn't interested in offending him.

She shrugged too. "I'm originally from Chatsworth," she said. "My parents own a farm up there. Moved down here with Jimmy after he proposed."

"He's workin' tonight?" Daryl asked curiously. Beth took another sip from her glass before she responded.

"Yeah. He works a lot. He's away a lot. Nights, weekends." That sounded bad, didn't it? "But, he works hard," she added. Beth wasn't sure if she was telling Daryl the facts or if she was trying to convince herself that Jimmy was a hard worker. She took yet another sip of her drink. It went down harder this time, catching in her throat uncomfortably. She coughed to get rid of the feeling.

Daryl nodded. "Oh," he said. "He like his job?"

Her head was a little foggy. Did Jimmy like his job? Beth realized she wasn't really sure. They didn't talk about work much. Usually, Jimmy liked to watch television and seemed annoyed when Beth would try and talk to him. He was always tired. Stressed. On edge.

"Yeah," she said a little uncertainly. "I mean, I guess he does." She could feel her ears warming, turning pink.

She looked up at him and he was looking down at his drink, holding it with both hands in front of him. "I like my job," he offered as an awkward transition. "Glenn's a great boss."

Relief flooded her, not wanting to talk about Jimmy any longer, and she smiled. "Glenn's a great guy. He speaks really highly of you."

"He's a great boss. Best person I've ever worked for," Daryl said honestly, taking another drink. "Married to your sister?" he asked. "Haven't met her yet."

"They just had a baby," Beth explained. "Maggie's been staying home with Hershel, the baby. She's a teacher at the high school, so she'll go back to work in a few months. Hoping they call me for babysitting jobs," Beth said, grinning, "He's the cutest baby. Looks just like Glenn."

She looked up at Daryl and he gave a small smile too. "That's great. You like bein' an aunt?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"I love it."

"Seems like you'd be good with kids."

Her cheeks were warm. Her chest, her arms, her eyes, everything was warm. "I do love kids," she said. She was widely aware that the alcohol was hitting her now. "Not sure if I'll ever have any of my own though," she said, shaking her head. Suddenly, she felt sad. The emotion was unwarranted. Unexpected. Uninvited. Overwhelming.

"Oh?" he asked. He didn't have to ask. He didn't have to care. But he did.

She sighed. "Jimmy don't want kids," she said. "Thinks they're a nuisance. Expensive. He was one of six kids so even if we do have children, he really only wants one. And that's a big _if_."

"That's too bad," Daryl commented. She watched him as he took another drink. She did the same. Her glass was almost empty. She wondered if she should pour more.

"I guess you make sacrifices for people you care about," she said simply. A little uncertainly.

"I guess that's right," Daryl echoed. "Did that for my brother, I suppose. Not sure it was the smartest thing I ever did though."

"Whatta mean?" she asked.

"Helping him. Givin' in to what he wanted all the time. Messed up parts of my life." He looked up at her then, eyes deep and blue, boring into her with a steady gaze. "Cut him out a while back and you know what?" he asked, not really asking. "I'm much happier now. I do what _I_ want. Don't gotta worry about what he wants, you know?"

Oh, she knew. Being with Jimmy was like walking on eggshells. Beth needed to be quiet. Careful. Gentle. Simple. "Yeah," she said slowly.

"I just wanted to be happy. And I wasn't when I was takin' care of my brother all the time. I was always worried and shit."

"I'm happy," Beth said, very suddenly. "I mean, I've accepted things are how they are." She shrugged again and drained the rest of her drink. "And that's okay, isn't it? I've accepted someone for who they are? Nobody's perfect."

"No, you're right," Daryl agreed, finishing his own glass. "Nobody is perfect." He nodded at her. "I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks," she said, sensing that somehow, he didn't believe her. Or maybe, Beth didn't believe herself.

"You okay?" Daryl asked then, leaning forward, towards her.

She nodded emphatically. "The whiskey's hittin' me a little," she admitted sheepishly.

Daryl let a grin escape his mouth. She saw the tips of his teeth for the first time. "Well ain't you a lightweight, Greene."

She giggled then, letting it escape her throat without really meaning to and his grin didn't fade. She felt connected to him for a weird reason, much more connected to him than she'd felt to Jimmy in a long time. And when he stood from the table - a sign that it was time for him to leave, she felt disappointment rise from her core.

"I should be goin'," he said.

"Sure," Beth said.

"Dinner was…amazing," he said simply. "Better than any meal I've had in a long ass time." He nodded at her. "Thank you."

"Anytime," she said, really meaning that and then she walked him to the door. She pulled it open and he walked out onto the concrete and turned, maybe to say something else to her, but before he could get the words out she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his middle to hug him. She'd released him before he even had time to hug her back.

"Thanks for coming," she breathed, then stepped away.

Daryl nodded at her, seeming lost for words and she backed herself into the doorframe, closing the door behind him. She was suddenly extremely tired and decided, as she cleaned up the dishes from the table and stuffed them in the sink, that loading the dish washer could wait until tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Graduate**

Chapter 5 - Cheater

 ** _A/N:_** _Yes, the name McGinty's is a play off Boondocks Saints. Nothing else about the bar is accurate. This chapter is a little less fluffy, but we need to get through this to get to the real Bethyl fluff. It's coming! Promise! Thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting. You guys are the best._

* * *

Maybe Daryl shouldn't have said what he said to her, but all of his words were true. He meant every single one of them. And he knew, from their conversation that night, that Beth Greene definitely wasn't happy.

 _Not_ that any of it was his business anyway.

His night wasn't over, but it was time to get out of her apartment. Things could have gotten sticky, what, with all that whiskey they were drinking. Could have drank more. Could have said more about the situation, but he didn't. He knew better than to overstay his welcome. Even that hug at the end, he hadn't really been expecting. He didn't _not_ like it. He just hadn't been expecting it. He wasn't sure if Beth was expecting it either.

Daryl was warm enough to feel good, but not buzzed enough to feel shitty about driving home on his bike. He was home in two minutes flat and there he sent Rick a text to see about grabbing some beers. He needed to be out. He thought, even if Rick didn't answer him or declined the invitation, he might go out anyway.

It was nights like these, he sort of missed his dumbass brother.

Rick answered. _Sure. McGinty's? Twenty minutes?_

 _Meet you there,_ Daryl responded quickly. He left immediately. He was practically bouncing on his heels to be anywhere else but home and alone. He could still feel her arms around him. And that, was dangerous.

McGinty's was close enough to walk to and Daryl left his place immediately. The pub was small, with a single bar on the far wall, adorned with high wooden stools. To the left was a crappy pool table. To the right, an old jukebox.

It wasn't crowded. Never was. It was a local bar with relatively the same visitors, same bartenders. Daryl liked that sort of consistency. Knowing what to expect. It was comfortable for him.

He ordered a whiskey. On the rocks. Better to not mix liquor at this point, he thought. It went down easily and he'd finished it by the time Rick arrived. He ordered another one.

"Hey man," Rick announced himself with a clap on Daryl's back.

He turned, giving a nod. "Hey. How's it goin'?" Rick Grimes was a clean shaven, put together man with kind blue eyes and gave just the right amount of pleasantries. Daryl was glad to have gotten to know him since he'd moved to town. He was the closest thing he had to a friend.

Rick took a seat at the bar next to Daryl. "Eh." He shrugged. "Not bad, I guess."

"You don't sound too sure," Daryl commented.

Rick sighed. The bartender came by. "Whatta ya'll have?" he asked Rick.

"Budweiser," Rick ordered. "Please." He turned to Daryl. "It's Lori. She's just up my ass. About…" he rolled his eyes, "everything."

Daryl nodded, not really understanding but trying to give an air of compassion. He knew about Rick and Lori. He thought most people in town did. Even Glenn would comment how they always seemed so miserable together and the rumors that swirled of Lori and Rick's best friend, Shane. He sort of felt bad for the guy.

"Sucks," was all Daryl said.

"What've you been up to?" he asked Daryl. The bartender handed Rick his drink and he took a long swig before turning towards him.

"Same old," Daryl shrugged. "I'm uh," he paused, "working on getting my GED."

Rick's eyes widened as he took another swig. He swallowed. "Yeah?" he said. "Good for you man," he said with a nod of encouragement. "That's great."

"Got a tutor and everythin'." He wasn't sure why he said that part. Maybe because he couldn't stop thinking about her. About dinner. The hug. Those long legs under that white dress. "Beth Greene."

"Ah," Rick smiled at him. "Maggie Rhee's sister, yeah? Little blonde thing?"

"Mmhm," Daryl responded.

"Don't know her all that well, but her boyfriend's a bit of a punk," Rick said with a laugh.

"Fiancé," Daryl corrected him. He didn't want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. His curiosity was getting the better of him. He had his own reasons for not liking the guy, but Rick not liking him was sort of interesting. "Why's he a punk?"

Rick shook his head. "Just seen how he is with other women. Full of himself. Not the nicest guy, to say the least."

"With other women?" Daryl questioned.

"He likes to flirt. He's a little inappropriate. Few times we've had complaints about how uncomfortable he's made women feel." Rick drained the rest of his beer and signaled to the bartender for another one. "Sort of scummy if you ask me. But, not too much we can do about it."

Daryl grunted in agreement. This new found information made him angry. Incomprehensibly angry. Yeah, if Daryl was being honest with himself, there was something there. A silly crush on a nice girl he'd only really spent a small amount of time with. It happens. But it shouldn't matter. Not like this anyway. He barely knew Beth. There was just something about this guy, treating her like this, treating other people badly. Just being a bad guy overall. It infuriated him to no end.

"Don't seem like Beth is very happy with him." No idea where that came from either. He tried to say it casually, but he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Rick give him a look.

"Why's that?" Rick asked. The bartender came by with his second beer. Asked Daryl if he wanted another whiskey. He shouldn't. But he ordered one anyway.

Daryl shrugged. "I went over her place tonight and we had dinner. Just me an' her."

Rick practically spit out his beer. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

Maybe he had gone too far. He wasn't even really sure why he was talking about all of this in the first place. He didn't know what Rick would think. Maybe he'd get up and walk out. Maybe he'd think badly of him from now on. Maybe this would be the last time they'd get a drink together. "I helped her with her bike the other day. Flat tire. She wanted to… _thank_ me."

"Oh," Rick nodded. "Yeah. That's nice of her, huh?"

Daryl nodded. Rick turned at him and grinned. Smile from ear to ear.

"What?" Daryl pressed.

"Nothin'," Rick shook his head. "You, uh," he gave a hint of a laugh. "Like her?"

His heart was pounding. He looked at his half-finished drink, brought it to his lips and threw it back. The sweet liquor destroyed his throat. He took a deep breath through his nose. "No." It sounded unsure. "I dunno." Instantly, he knew Rick knew.

"'Nother round?" the bartender asked Daryl.

"Yes," Rick answered for him.

Daryl was starting to feel dizzy. Cloudy. Uninhibited. He fished into his pocket for the piece of paper he knew was there. "I was thinkin' about texting her." He unfolded the small, wrinkled piece of paper she had given him the other day. _Beth Greene 404-234-5475._ God, even her handwriting was adorable.

He looked at Rick who was nursing his beer. He saw that another whiskey had appeared in front of him. He should probably stop drinking. After this one. He lifted the glass to his mouth.

"Pretty stupid, huh?" Daryl asked Rick.

"You should do it. If you want to do it, you should do it." Rick's answer was simple and clear. "No harm in a text message."

So, he brought his phone out and stared at it, the screen moving in and out of clear vision. He was definitely done drinking tonight. Then, he typed in that number and sent her a message: _Hey, It's Daryl. Thanks for dinner. I had fun hanging out. See you soon._

When he woke in the morning, Beth hadn't said anything in return.

* * *

When Beth woke the next day, the house was quiet. Usually, when Jimmy would come home late, he'd sleep on the couch in the living room and his snores would echo down the hall and straight into her bedroom. That way she knew he was there. But this morning, it was quiet.

She got up and rubbed her face, straining her ears. It could be possible that Jimmy _wasn't_ snoring, couldn't it? But once she got up, down the hallway and into the living room, the couch was empty. Jimmy wasn't here.

Beth checked her phone. Maybe he'd gotten stuck at the office. He'd had to sleep there - he'd done that a few times before. Seemed pretty odd to Beth but Jimmy had convinced her that plenty of people stayed overnight, especially after client dinners. But the only message she had on her phone was from Daryl.

She smiled at that.

He'd had a good time and she had too, she'd be lying if she had said otherwise. The conversation had gotten a little tense. Beth thought she drank too much whiskey. She'd tried to convince him that she was happy and Daryl had believed her - hadn't he? Had Beth believed herself? She found that she wasn't sure.

Before she could question it further, the front door slammed open and Jimmy barged in.

"Jimmy!" she cried, running towards him.

He grunted, then brushed past her, kicking the door closed behind himself. His hair was sweaty and his face was red - there were deep bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. The smell of alcohol and stale cigarettes followed him as he wandered into the house and she scrunched up her nose in offense.

"Jimmy," she trailed after him as he headed towards the bathroom. "Where've you been?"

"Work," he said plainly. Bored. Annoyed. He reached the bathroom and started stripping off his clothes. Shirt over his head. Kicked off his pants. Totally uninterested that Beth was still behind him.

"You reek," she said angrily. "You tellin' me you were drinkin' and smokin' all night at work?" Her voice was shrill. She hated how she sounded.

He looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Some clients took me and some of the guys at work out. I couldn't say no. Put us up at the Georgian Terrace," he boasted. "Rooftop pool." He started the shower and then finally looked back at her. "You doin' laundry today?"

"No - I wasn't plannin' on it. I mean, I can," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully for him.

"Can you wash that?" He looked down to his pile of clothes on the floor. Beth could smell them from where she stood. He kicked out of his boxers, not waiting for her response and got into the shower.

"Sure," she whispered. Tears flooded her eyes. Whether it was frustration or anger, she wasn't quite sure, but she gathered his clothes and brought them to their small washer and dryer in the hallway. She threw the shirt in first, boxers next and reached for his pants last.

As she flattened them out, she realized they were weighed down on one side, so she investigated, reaching her small hands into the pockets. Sometimes he left change or credit card receipts in the pockets.

Today, instead, she found his phone. It was small, simple - familiar, the same model as hers. But it was as unfamiliar as an object got. She'd rarely seen Jimmy's phone unattended. She didn't even think she'd ever held it in her hands. It seemed like it was attached to his hip.

Beth couldn't help herself. She opened it. The main screen popped up revealing three screens of apps. Jimmy grunted in the shower and she looked up, almost dropping the device. The shower was still running. Still safe.

It was wrong. She knew it was wrong. Shouldn't she trust him? Wasn't that how relationships worked? Her finger hovered. There were so many options, but she chose the messages icon. She wanted to know who he talked to. People from work? He was always so vague when he talked to Beth about his day to day.

The messages were filled with texts, but all from unsaved numbers. There was a thread that read, "Beth," another that read "Mom," but the rest were all unknown.

She chose the first one.

As she started to read, she knew it was wrong. They weren't right. The messages they were…inappropriate. No, inappropriate wasn't even the right word. They were obscene. Things that Jimmy hadn't ever said to her in the four years they'd been together. And then, just when she thought it couldn't get worse, she saw the photos. The woman. Whoever this message belonged to.

Beautiful, brown skin, long silky, black hair and a painted on face that smiled. Thin arms, squeezing the sides of her breasts. Fake. They had to be fake. Large, circular, perky. Small nipples that looks like little chocolate kisses.

Beth wasn't crying. She wasn't anything - maybe, if she had to pinpoint it, she was numb to it. The shock had gotten to her first. She knew the sadness - the anger, would come later. The tears would follow.

She kept staring at the photo.

The shower stopped.

Quickly, her heart in her chest, Beth closed out of the messages, locked the phone and stuffed his pants into the washer. She wondered how many women had taken these jeans off of Jimmy. She wondered how long she was _such an idiot_ for. She wondered how many people knew.

"Beth?" Jimmy called from the bathroom. She couldn't answer him, and he didn't give her a chance to. "You see my phone?" he asked.

 _Saw enough, you fucking cheater._

She poured detergent into the washer, then turned the knob to start the machine. His phone felt like a weight in her hand. She knew what was on it. He knew what was on it. She wondered if he wondered if she saw. Did he even care?

 _How could she have been so fucking stupid?_

"Here." She placed the phone on the sink. Jimmy stood outside the shower, dripping wet, digging his finger into his ear. The bathroom was steamy, smelling of the Irish Spring soap Jimmy used to shower.

"Beth?"

She looked up at him. She wanted to throw him into the wall. Scream at him. Ask why she hadn't been enough, but she held back. She still felt _something_ when he said her name.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"You mind makin' some breakfast or somethin'? I'm starvin'."

 _No._ "I'll run out and get some bagels." She was shaking with anger.

"Cool."

She needed out of the apartment. Away from Jimmy, so she didn't gouge his eyes out. Without thinking twice, she ran out of their home that suddenly felt too small. The home they'd made together. Or maybe Beth had just made that up to convince herself this was good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Graduate**

Chapter 6 - Confrontation

* * *

Beth brought home bagels, as promised, but left the house immediately afterwards again. She couldn't stand to be around him, acting like nothing was wrong. Something was wrong. Very wrong. But she wasn't quite sure how to handle it all.

Jimmy didn't seem to mind that she left at all, nor did he notice the tears welling in her eyes as she dumped the brown bag of bagels on the counter. But then again, Jimmy never really noticed much about her anymore.

She felt positively foolish. There had been signs alright. Strange behavior. Ridiculous excuses. Beth had always ignored them because Jimmy was a good man. Or at least, he _had_ been a good man. He had truly been good to her once. But now, she realized, he had changed. And she just sort of came along for the ride.

As she steered herself into town on her bike, tears flooding her vision, she realized she had no idea where she was going. She hadn't really been thinking when she left, just that she wanted to get _out_ of that apartment. Away from Jimmy.

Her chest felt heavy, lungs too small for air. She brought her arm up to wipe away her tears. What good would tears do anyway? She tried to talk herself down. Be strong. Brush it off. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. She loved Jimmy. He was comfortable and easy and _hers_. Or had been hers anyway. She wondered how long he'd been sneaking around behind her back. She wondered who the mystery woman was on his phone. She wondered so much, she'd reached town before she realized what was happening.

Collecting her thoughts, she tried to focus on her destination. She wasn't hungry, so eating was out of the question. She wasn't feeling particularly curious, so she wouldn't visit the bookstore. Instead, maybe, she would go see Maggie.

Maggie and Glenn lived about two miles away from Beth and Jimmy. They had moved to Dalton first, Beth following her older sister after Jimmy had proposed. Maggie was thrilled to have family right around the corner, though Beth wasn't ever really convinced Maggie was a fan of Jimmy, they still got together for dinners every week. Once a month, the two sisters and their beaus would make the drive up to Chatsworth to have dinner with the entire Greene family.

Hershel Jr. had been born just a little over a month ago so Beth had been coming to visit more often to help Maggie where she could. Maybe she wouldn't think it odd for Beth to show up in the middle of the day unannounced. Maybe she could just stay…for a while.

She soared down the sidewalk, peddling a little more aggressively than usual, her destination now in mind. The anger in her chest was bubbling up and she felt like she could scream, but she tried to fuel the energy into her calves, pushing her towards Maggie's house.

The driveway appeared much more quickly than she'd anticipated and she sped up it, hopping off with the spokes still spinning, letting the bike clatter to the grass. She led herself right up to the front door, knocking frantically, knowing Maggie would never forgive her if she'd rang the doorbell after Hershel had fallen asleep.

Her sister's face appeared in the small window of the door, looking tired and irritable. Her eyes widened when she saw Beth and she unlocked the deadbolt, pulling the door out towards her. Instead of holding it open for Beth, she scurried outside, brushing past her so they could talk on Maggie's front stoop.

"Beth," she said, reaching towards her for a hug. "What are you doin' here?"

Beth hugged her sister, squeezing her tightly around her middle. Even though she had just had a baby, she still felt small and slender in her arms. "Wanted to see you." She sighed. "And maybe Hershel too."

Maggie pulled away smiling at her sister. "Well I just put him down for a nap. But it's always good to see you."

It was instant, the minute Maggie smiled at her, Beth's face fell and the tears exploded from behind her eyes and she tried to stop but found it positively impossible, so instead she sat, fumbling for the step beneath her as she slumped over, with her head in her hands, her shoulders quaking, loud sobs uncontrollably escaping her body.

"Oh my lord, Beth." She felt Maggie's hands on her back and Beth felt awful. She didn't want to dump this all on Maggie, all this emotion, all these tears, but she simply couldn't help it. It was more than one person could take. "What's _wrong_?"

"Jimmy," she said in between sobs. "He." She took a shuddering breath, " _Cheated_."

She heard Maggie take a sharp intake of breath and she slid her hand around Beth's waist and squeezed her closer to her body. Beth laid her head against Maggie's shoulder and tried to speak again, but she couldn't stop crying. She was hysterical. She was hysterical and it wasn't fair because Jimmy was probably home right now, texting some _woman_ she didn't know about all kinds of inappropriate things.

And here was Beth, crying on her sister's stoop like a pathetic, bumbling mess, unable to stop the tears, unable to even get words out of her mouth. How dumb could she have been? She was going to marry him, for gods sake!

"Oh Beth," Maggie breathed, whispering the words into her hair. "I'm so sorry. What an asshole." She squeezed her again. "I'm gonna kill him."

Beth shook her head forcefully. "Mags, I don't know what to do."

Maggie pulled away from her and turned to face her. "You're gonna leave him, that's what you're gonna do. Come stay with me and Glenn for a while."

Beth shook her head again. "I can't do that Maggie. You have a new baby. I can't…"

"I'm tellin' you, you can," Maggie cut her off.

"No," Beth said forcefully. "Jimmy should leave. He _will_ leave. He's always away anyhow."

"Beth," Maggie said carefully. "How're you gonna keep up with the apartment rent? Ain't Jimmy payin' all those bills?"

"I can get a job," Beth said, her breath unsteady. "I have all that money saved up for classes. I can use that." She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I can keep the apartment. I don't wanna give up my _home_. That ain't fair."

Maggie looked incredulous. "Beth," she said calmly. "Sweetie. You gotta be realistic. Jimmy's got a good job to pay for the place you live in. You ain't gonna be able to pay for it all on your own."

Well, this wasn't what Beth wanted to hear right now. That after all this, after Jimmy _cheated,_ her own sister didn't even believe she could make it on her own. In the back of her mind, she thought, maybe Maggie was being sort of reasonable, but it didn't help how she was feeling right now. And Beth was a very _right_ now type of person. She thought maybe she might yell at Maggie, tell her she was being a bitch, but instead she just started crying again, hating herself for it.

* * *

Beth spent the rest of the week trying to stay out of Jimmy's way, slugging through classes, applying to jobs all over town, crying herself to sleep and visiting Maggie almost every day. Though she was sort of irritated with how Maggie ultimately handled the situation, she knew she was only trying to help. And after all, she was her sister.

She had another friend at school, Tara Chambler, who she confided in too. She was much more understanding than her sister, even putting in a good word with her uncle who owned the bookstore in town.

As usual, Jimmy was late almost every night, which was okay. She didn't stay up and wait for him anymore. On Friday, the day before her tutoring session, she realized she hadn't see Daryl once all week, which she was sort of relieved about. She had avoided the grocery store like the plague, the excuse being that she hadn't wanted anyone she knew to see her so distraught, but she thought the _anyone_ really sort of referred to Daryl.

The bathroom mirror was also off limits, the one time she looked in it she thought her face was swollen to the point of no return, her eyes in little slits, skin puffy and red and she wondered how long she would cry for.

Saturday came, and she was both eager and terrified for it. Beth hadn't seen Daryl since he'd been over for dinner, before she found out Jimmy was a _cheater_ , and she didn't understand why but she was extremely nervous for their session today. Nevertheless, she got showered and dressed, doing what she could to hide the days of crying on her face and left the house.

The morning was muggy and hot, so Beth brought her hair up behind her head in a ponytail as she walked into the school to meet Daryl. Her body felt weak from the heat and days of crying and not eating properly and the thought made her sad, so she had to concentrate on not letting tears well up in her eyes.

Daryl was already sitting in the cafeteria when she got there. He was always early, which she liked. His back was turned to her and he was leaning back in the plastic chair, his feet propped up on the seat across from him, swiping across the screen of his phone. Today he wore a fitted hat, which she hadn't seen him in before, a little bit of his brown hair sticking out from the edges.

She came towards him and he turned slightly, giving her a small grin. "Hey Beth," he said.

"Hi Daryl," she responded, pulling out a seat and dumping her things on the table. "How are you?" Her heart was racing and she was aware of her still swollen face. She thought she maybe looked slightly better today, but her face still looked like she'd been crying.

"I'm good." His eyes met hers and she saw his face falter. "You okay?"

Beth sat. "I'm fine." She averted her eyes and started to take out the test books, pencils and paper she had packed in her bag.

"You sure? We can reschedule—"

"No," she shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I just…" she racked her brain trying to come up with an excuse. "I'm thinkin' about droppin' out of college is all. I need the extra money. It's been a rough week."

She scanned him to see if he believed the lie. He seemed to take it in and roll it over in his brain. "Well," he said awkwardly, "I'm sorry to hear."

"Thanks. It'll be okay." She shrugged. "Anyway, let's get started." She didn't mean to be short with him, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to have this conversation with him. The tears would come and she would cry and god knows what he would think of her then.

And so they started. Daryl was making a lot of progress, really understanding all of the concepts that Beth was teaching him. She thought after a few more sessions he might be ready to take the test. She told him this at the end of their lesson and he smiled at her.

"You think so?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You're doin' great. You should be really proud of yourself."

"Couldn't've done it without ya," he said to her with a nod.

"It's my pleasure," she said, starting to pack up her things. "You're a wonderful student."

"Hey," he said, and she turned to look at him. She flushed when she realized he was staring at her, his face serious as he spoke. "You shouldn't drop out of school. Don't give up on your dreams, Beth. Nothin's worth that. If anyone can make it work, I know you can. Don't let anyone or anythin' hold you back."

Her breath caught in her chest and she studied this man, this man she barely knew, and wondered why he would say that to her. They barely knew each other and he had no reason to be so nice to her, but he was - and she really, really needed that right now.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't mean to be too forward or anythin'," he said before she could respond. "I just think…you're smart and you could do anythin' you set your mind to." He looked uncomfortable now, biting his lip. He stood up suddenly, his chair scraping backwards against the linoleum flooring of the cafeteria. "I should go."

"Daryl," she said, standing herself. "I…" she hesitated, trying to figure out the right thing to say. She settled with, "Thank you."

Then, she hugged him. This was the third time she'd wrapped her arms around him and inhaled him and he felt strong and warm and built and she was pleasantly surprised when he put his arms around her too and squeezed. That was new and she certainly didn't hate it.

Pulling away, she gave a small smile. "Next week?" she asked him.

"I'll be here," he responded, and left, leaving her with a glimmer of happiness that left her feeling confused.

* * *

Jimmy was home when she got back. She was instantly furious - he never thought to tell her what his schedule might be, when he might be home, what he was doing and she hated him for it. She hated him for everything. This whole week of emotion. For cheating. For being the lousiest fiancé in the entire world.

So, she pulled open the front door and stormed in.

He was sitting on the couch in his underwear, drinking a beer and it was eleven in the morning. She glared at him and he made no move to even acknowledge that she'd come through the door.

"Hi," she said angrily.

He didn't answer her.

"Hi," she tried again, a little louder.

His eyes flicked over towards her and then back to the television. "Oh," he said blandly. "Hi Beth."

"What're you doin' home?"

His eyes didn't move from the television this time. "Uh, I'm watchin' TV."

"Didn't you think to tell me that you'd be home?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. She was losing it. The sadness was gone. She must have cried it out throughout the week and now she felt something new. Anger.

Anger like she'd never felt towards someone before. Jimmy had ruined everything. He was making her think about dropping out of school, just so she could get away from him. He was getting in the way of her dreams. _Don't let anyone or anythin' hold you back._ "Didn't you think I should know that you'd be home? Don't you think I should know anythin'?"

She was getting hysterical and he finally broke away from the television to take her in. He must have been on his third or fourth beer by now, she thought, because his eyes were glazed and lazy and he looked at her stupidly. "What're you goin' on about Beth?" he asked exasperatedly.

"You," she brought a shaky finger up to point at him, "Are an asshole!" It came out in a shriek.

His face instantly screwed up in anger. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, you're an _asshole._ " She said the last word through her teeth, like it was a threat. "You're a fucking cheater." She felt tears then. The word _cheater_. It was like a trigger for her. She hated him.

He let out a low laugh. "I'm sorry?" he asked, standing up from the couch.

"You heard me," she spat at him. "You're a cheater. Admit it."

Jimmy looked like he was thinking for a minute. Standing there, in his underwear with a beer bottle in his hand, the condensation dripping onto the hardwood floor. Beth made a mental note to clean it up later. His body looked even whiter than it normally did - long, lanky limbs and an awful tattoo of Chinese symbol over his chest which he told Beth meant "Strength" but she thought he really had no idea what the hell is said when he got the thing, half drunk with his buddies late one summer night.

He nodded, to her surprise." Alright," he said, biting on his lip, not really looking at her. He took the beer bottle that was in his hand and chugged the rest of it, throwing the empty glass onto the couch behind him. "Fine. So what if I am?" He threw his hands up. "Whatta gonna do about it anyway, Beth?"

The response took her aback. She stood, stark still, unable to move - shocked, like he'd slapped her across the face. He cocked an eyebrow. "Shit, Beth - what'd'ya think was goin' on?" he said, softer this time, sounding like he sort of felt sorry for her. Her eyes widened and she realized she was shaking.

"What I _thought_ was that you had made a promise to me Jimmy. I _thought_ you loved me." She was tugging on the diamond that was situated over her ring finger, twisting it off, over her knuckle until it was loose in her hands. She held it in her palm, carefully. She remembered when he first gave it to her. She remembered how happy she had been, how she proudly sported it on her hand - a solid symbol of their love that surely, anyone would be lucky to have.

Now, it just felt like a weight. A stupid, meaningless shiny rock that was as fake and superficial as her and Jimmy's four year relationship. "I _thought_ this meant something to you. I thought I meant something to you!" And here came the tears. She'd hoped they wouldn't come, but they had. "I thought…I don't know what I thought Jimmy. But it definitely wasn't this."

He looked like he was at a loss. Pretty _whatever_ about the whole thing. How could he not care? How could he be so calm? Beth felt like she was going to jump out of her own skin and he was just standing there.

"Beth, I—" He stopped, unsure of what to say. His shoulders slumped forward and he looked at the floor. He couldn't even meet her eyes.

"How long've you been cheatin'?" It came out in a whisper. She didn't know why she asked, or what she wanted to hear from it, or if she really even wanted him to answer at all, but the question came out nonetheless.

He shrugged. "A few months, maybe…I dunno."

"You don't know?" she shrieked, unable to help herself. "You really care _that_ little about me that you don't even _know?_ "

"Shush," Jimmy tried to calm her, putting his hands out, signaling to her stop. But she was just getting started. "The neighbors are gonna hear ya Beth."

"Let them hear me Jimmy," she growled at him. "Let them hear that you're a NO GOOD CHEATIN' BASTARD!" She really yelled that last part, so much so that her throat was hoarse later that evening.

"Beth!"

"It's true ain't it?" she said. "Fuck you Jimmy Reed. I hate you." She took the ring she still held in her hands and chucked it at him, so it hit him right between the eyes. He blinked, stepping back and they both watched the thing spiral on its edge and land on the floor silently. So shiny and delicate against their hardwood floor.

She looked at him as he got onto his knees and grabbed it, picking it up between two fingers and holding it. He looked at it, then looked towards her, meeting her eyes. Now, he sort of looked sad. Guilty. "I'm sorry Beth."

"Fuck you," she snarled at him. "Get out."

And so he did.

Jimmy left, with an overnight bag and a frown on his face, her engagement ring deep in his pockets somewhere, mumbling that he'd be back at some point for the rest of his things and she slammed the door behind him, erupting into a fountain of tears as he left. Absentmindedly, she touched her ring finger, where she'd worn her engagement ring for about a year and it felt empty and light, but almost kind of freeing. A freedom she hadn't realized she'd wanted. Now, she didn't owe Jimmy a damn thing.

* * *

After she was done crying and cleaning up the mess that Jimmy had left, she called Maggie and Tara and asked them both to come over so she wasn't alone. She didn't think she could stand it - the quiet house, at least tonight.

They both arrived soon after, Maggie with booze and Tara with pizza and they sat together on the couch, drinking and eating and watching _The Wedding Singer_ , which was Beth's choice and one of her favorites. Plus, she thought, she might find it a little cathartic to watch Julia discover that her fiancé was cheating and move on to still find love. Even if it seemed unimaginable at the moment, it was nice to feel like other people had gone through and dealt with these types feelings too.

As the movie progressed and Julia's fiancé tells Robbie that he cheats on her all the time, they all started yelling at the television, Beth being the loudest. Maggie poured them more wine, and when that glass was done, she filled up Beth's glass again and they were finally to the last scene of the movie where Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore on the airplane and it was Beth's _favorite_ scene in the whole movie.

"This is so romantic," she slurred, her wine sloshing around in her class and in her belly. "Jimmy would've never done something like this for me."

Movie Billy Idol was addressing the cabin now.

"I wanna find a _girl_ who will do this for me," Tara laughed alongside Beth.

"Glenn would definitely do something like this," Maggie said dreamily, taking another sip of wine. "He's a romantic."

"You know who would do somethin' like this?" Beth said, her eyes crossing, trying to focus on the screen. "That Daryl Dixon. He seems like he'd be sorta romantic."

"Ah, Beth!" Tara exclaimed next to her with a nudge of her shoulder. "Ain't that your student? You gotta crush on him?"

"Nah," she giggled. Hiccuped. Giggled again. "Maybe." Billy Idol's bit had ended. "Shh," she shushed them, putting her wine down. "He's gonna start singing."

And the girls sat there on the couch, watching and singing along:

 _I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad_

 _Carry you around when your arthritis is bad_

 _All I wanna do is grow old with you._

 _I'll get your medicine, when your tummy aches_

 _Build you a fire if the furnace breaks_

 _Oh, it could be so nice, growing old with you._

 _I'll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold._

 _Need you, feed you, even let you hold the remote control._

 _So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink_

 _Put you to bed if you've had too much to drink_

 _I could be the man, who grows old with you._

 _I wanna grow old with you._

The movie ended and the night felt late, even though it wasn't. Maggie forced her younger sister to drink an entire cup of water and then put her to bed. Despite how she felt and how angry she was with Jimmy and how much she wanted to cry again, she went to sleep and dreamt of Daryl Dixon singing to her on an airplane.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _The drama! Hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry there wasn't much Beth/Daryl, but you all will certainly get your fill in the chapters to come. Thanks so much for reading and please leave a review!_

 _If you haven't already and are interested in seeing the scene from The Wedding Singer, search "Grow Old With You, Wedding Singer" on YouTube. Love that movie!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Graduate**

Chapter 7 - Breakfast

* * *

Ever since their tutoring session the week before, Daryl realized he'd really had to make an effort to not think about Beth. He kept wondering why she'd looked so sad on Saturday, her face puffy from what looked like ages of crying. Instantly, he thought of his conversation with Rick. That no good fiancé of hers and made up all sorts of scenarios in his head. She had told him she was thinking about dropping out of school, but, he just knew there had to be more to the story than that.

The week went by slowly. The grocery store kept him busy for the most part, but he couldn't shake her face from his mind each night as he tucked himself into his small apartment, falling asleep in bed. He didn't know why, but he was completely drawn to her. She had been so patient and kind with Daryl. He knew he was paying her for tutoring and all, but there was just _something_ about her that was so…bright.

Saturday came again, as sunny and hot as ever. The woman on the news channel told Daryl (as he poured himself a cup of coffee) that it was one of Georgia's hottest days to record and to stay indoors if possible. _Nothin's keepin' me inside today,_ he thought.

He dressed in blue jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt, staring at himself in the mirror behind his bedroom door. He was relatively tall and built. One of the girls he'd dated a while back once told him the sleeveless shirts were a bit obnoxious, but he liked them. He didn't wear them because he wanted to show himself off or anything, he just felt comfortable in them.

He hoped Beth didn't think they were obnoxious.

Suddenly, he thought about changing, which was a strange thought because normally, Daryl didn't really give a crap about what anyone thought, but it crossed his mind before he glanced at his watch and realized he was late. "Shit," he said aloud, opening his door, grabbing his small black backpack he always wore, his sunglasses, and his helmet.

It was stifling hot, the weather woman hadn't lied about that. Daryl had opted for his regular helmet, knowing the full-face one would be unrealistic to wear in this type of heat. He was glad he did because he was sweating by the time he swung his leg over the bike, backing up to cruise on down to the high school.

The road was practically empty and Daryl thought most people were probably staying inside on a day like today. It was still relatively early and he could have sworn the temperature was up in the nineties.

The high school popped up in the distance and he drove towards it, eager. As he came closer, he saw Beth, peddling down the sidewalk on her blue bike. She had earbuds in and was singing along to herself as she steered into the parking lot. Daryl smiled to himself as he zoomed past her, parking in one of the spots.

He took off his helmet and tried to fix his hair which ended up being impossible because he was drenched in sweat. Admitting defeat, he went over towards her, hoping he'd put enough deodorant on that morning.

Beth had leaned her bike against the brick siding of the school and was locking it to the silver bike rack that connected to the wall. When she finished, she wiped her brow with the back of her hands, letting out a big breath.

Today she had on a cute pair of overall shorts and a tank top underneath. It was low-cut and loose fitting and Daryl tried his hardest not to notice the freckles that were scattered over her chest. She had a pair of ray bans on over her eyes, identical to the ones Daryl wore, shielding the sun.

"Hey Beth," he greeted her. "Hot enough for ya?"

She looked up at him, pulling her sunglasses up to rest at the top of her head, her face pink from exertion and she smiled. That wide smile, where he saw all the way back to her molars. "Hi Daryl," she said with a wave. She was so damn cute, sweaty and all. "It's awful out. Let's get inside."

He nodded, following her towards the front double doors of the building. She went for the handle and tugged, but the door didn't budge. She tried again on the other door, but that one didn't move either. She stood in front of them, frowning. "They're locked," she said over her shoulder.

Daryl took a turn to tug and the doors were, indeed, locked.

Beth sighed and he looked at her and she was bouncing up and down on her heels, looking like she might cry. "They must have closed the school today," she said, wiping her brow again. "Sports teams probably aren't practicin'. Because of the heat. Oh, I'm so stupid. I should have checked my e-mail before I left the house." She was panicked. Wouldn't meet his eyes.

"It's no big deal Beth, don't worry about it." He tried to duck his head down so she would look at him. "We can go somewhere else, if you want. Maybe we could get some breakfast or somethin'. Do the lesson over pancakes?" he suggested. He liked the idea of having breakfast with Beth Greene.

She looked up at him, biting her lip. "That sounds…nice," she said slowly. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "Let's do that."

"We'll take the motorcycle. Come back for your bike on the way home, okay?" he asked her.

"Okay." She said it determinedly this time, like she was deciding to get over her fear of motorcycles in that moment. He turned to walk towards the vehicle, Beth trotting behind him. After the last time he'd picked up Beth and lent her his helmet, he kept a spare in his hard case trunk. He took it out and handed it to Beth before hopping on the bike himself, allowing Beth to fling her tiny body over the seat behind him, her slender arms grabbing tightly around his middle.

"You ready?" he called over his shoulder as he put his own helmet on, and he felt her nod her head as he backed the bike up. He was very aware of her hands against his lower stomach, her inner thighs against the denim over his hips, her chin peeking right over his shoulder. Damn, she felt nice.

The sole diner in town was right down the main road at the edge of county line - a big silver building with large, glass windows that looked in on blue plastic booths. There was a big neon "OPEN" sign out front that flashed all sorts of different colors. It was a building straight from the 1970's, but it had become Daryl's go-to spot for a good breakfast when he didn't feel like cooking.

They arrived quickly, Daryl maneuvering his bike up over the lowered curb and into the parking lot. The diner looked relatively empty too, but the lights were on inside and Daryl knew that Jim, the owner of the place, wouldn't shut down for a little Georgia heat. Daryl let Beth hop off first, hitting the ground with two feet and tugging off the helmet he'd given her. He followed suit and they both made their way into the diner.

The door gave a little _ring_ as they walked in, and a tall, thin waitress, smacking bubblegum in her mouth came up to them. "Two?" she asked lazily.

"Yes," Beth responded politely, and they were led to a booth. Both Daryl and Beth threw their backpacks into their respective seats and slid in, sitting across from each other, taking the menus from their server.

Daryl already knew what he wanted, he got the same thing every time (buttermilk pancakes and bacon), but he glanced over the menu to be polite. He wondered what Beth was getting. Probably something with egg whites. She didn't look like she ate anything.

"I'm starvin'," Beth commented, looking up at him.

"Me too," he grunted in response. "Whatta gettin'?"

"Pancakes and bacon," she answered. "You?"

 _Well, ain't that somethin'_

"Me too," he said with a grin that came off way goofier than he intended it to. He clamped his mouth shut and looked out the window.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Beth do the same, so he took the opportunity to look at her. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table, twisting the fingers on one hand around her fingers on the other hand. She had long, slender fingers - well, she had long, slender, _everything_ , not that he was looking. Her fingers looked…whiter, longer - somehow?

She met his gaze, bringing her hands away from the table, stuffing them underneath the table where he couldn't see them anymore. And then he realized. The ring! She wasn't wearing the gigantic ring anymore.

His heart pounded in his chest for no damn good reason at all and he wanted _so badly_ to ask her, but he didn't want to be nosy, so he kept his mouth clamped shut.

The waitress reappeared and asked for their orders, which they gave to her. Quickly, she swept up the menus and went on her way.

"Are you feelin' better today?" Daryl asked. He was prying a little, but he thought it was still a polite question.

"Hm?" Beth asked, apparently having been lost in thoughts of her own. "Oh!" she said surprised, looking away from Daryl. "Yeah I'm doing…better."

"You give any more thought into reconsidering dropping out of school?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly. Then she took a deep sigh and looked at the ceiling. Daryl thought he might have seen tears in her eyes, but wasn't sure. "I sorta…left some parts out of the story," she admitted.

He tried not to look too satisfied. "What's that?" he asked, forcing curiosity, his voice rising up at the end of the sentence.

"Me and Jimmy, uh, we…sorta…broke things off." She was back to looking out the window. Arms came back on the table. She twisted her fingers together again.

"Oh," Daryl said softly. "Well that's too bad." His heart was still pounding, so hard he thought she might hear it. God, he hoped he didn't sound smug.

"No," she said shaking her head and looking at him. "It's not. I'm glad it happened. I'm glad I didn't marry the bastard."

Daryl gave her a half-smile and a nod, unsure of how to respond.

"Can you believe he didn't even know how long he'd been cheatin'?" she said suddenly, a little hysterically. "Barely cared about how I felt." She sounded pretty damn angry. As she should be. Who the _hell_ would be crazy enough to cheat on her? "That ain't someone I wanna be with, you know?" she asked him.

"He's an idiot," Daryl said, hoping he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but Beth nodded in agreement at him, her teeth clenched. "Sorry you had to go through that."

She shrugged. "How are you doin'?" she asked. Why was she asking how he was doing when she had her own things to worry about?

"Doin' okay. Starting training this week for the new management position at the grocery store, so that's been keepin' me busy. Other than that, not much. Was thinkin' about goin' fishin' this weekend. Take a little trip up into the mountains, stay the night. I've got this spot I always go to. It's like a little slice of heaven."

Beth nodded, listening eagerly. "That sounds really nice," she said. "To get away like that."

"It is," Daryl urged on. "I love doin' it. Gettin' out of the house and bein' out in nature. Clears your head." In all honesty, Daryl had hoped to get away to clear his head of Beth. She'd been engaged - committed to someone. But now…

The waitress appeared again, steaming hot food on plates she held on both hands. She dumped them in front of them and sauntered off. The food smelled incredible and they both dug in immediately. Beth was a thin, delicate girl, that was for sure, but there was no delicacy in the way she inhaled her food. Daryl grinned as he watched her eat.

"Hungry?" he asked in between bites.

She nodded forcefully. "Haven't really been eatin' much the past week. This breakfast's too good to pass up." She took another bite, closing her eyes in satisfaction.

Daryl smiled again. Man, he was smiling a lot. More than he had in a long ass time.

"You gotta take care of yourself," he commented. And then, before he could think about the words rolling off his tongue, he said, "Maybe you should come campin' with me tomorrow. Get away. Clear your head. Seems like you could use a little vacation."

He had no idea where that burst of confidence came from, but he suspected it had something to do with her not wearing her ring. Not that it mattered. It definitely didn't matter. They were friends. Friends hung out. This was normal. Right?

She'd stopped eating and looked at him. "Oh, I'm a miserable mess Daryl," she said shaking her head. "You don't wanna be around me any more than you have to. My own sister doesn't even wanna be around me."

"I do," he said with a nod of reassurance. "It'll make you feel better. And, besides, it might be nice to have some company." Oh god, he thought. What if she was trying to let him down easy, without saying no right away? He felt the tips of his ears grow warm. "You don't have to though, if you don't want to."

"I do want to!" she exclaimed quickly, to his pleasant surprise. "I just…" she paused, thinking. "You sure you want me to come? Ain't never been fishin' before and, I'm not sure I'll be any good company to you."

"You'll be just fine company." He smiled at her. "I can teach you how to fish." Did he sound desperate? Oh god, he hoped he didn't sound desperate. "It'll be fun."

She chewed her lip. "Yeah, alright," she said. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he nodded. "I'll pick you up at seven. Get an early start out. It's a 'lil bit of a hike so, make sure you wear boots," he said with a grin. "I'll bring the campin' gear, and we can catch our dinner."

Beth raised her eyebrow to that. "Really?" she asked.

Daryl almost laughed. "Yeah. I'm gonna teach you how to catch a fish, debone it and cook it up into somethin' delicious," he said firmly. "It's my turn to teach ya somethin'."

It was Beth's turn to laugh. "Yeah, okay," she said with a nod. "That's fair." And then she said, "I'm lookin' forward to it."

* * *

After Beth and Daryl went their own separate ways, Daryl went straight to the grocery store to get food for his and Beth's camping trip the next day. He needed some spices for the fish, some beer and wine (he wasn't sure Beth was much of a liquor drinker), bottles of water and a few snacks to hold them over as they hiked up to Daryl's spot.

Daryl wasn't much of a cook - he still avoided the kitchen unless he absolutely had to. But the grill, now that was a different story. In the past, usually just pasta or ramen did it for him, but ever since he'd started working at the grocery, he'd realized there was more in the world than just instant meals. It had unintentionally become sort of a hobby for him, experimenting with meats and spices on the grill. And he wasn't going to lie, he really liked it.

He knew what Merle would think of him, out buying food to go out camping with some girl. That voice in his head always made him second guess himself, but it was getting quieter as the months went on.

Excitement rose in his chest as he took his things home with him and packed up the metal motorcycle trailer he kept for trips such as these. Carefully, he piled a tent, two backpacks for the both of them, with snacks, water and sleeping bags, a small, portable grill, his tackle box and two fishing rods and left some room for the cooler he would pack in the morning. As he strapped everything in, he felt pretty satisfied with himself.

He could barely sleep that night. He was tingling, annoyingly, with excitement. He tried to talk himself down and tell himself that it was really no big deal. He'd spent the day with Beth before. He'd taken Rick camping before. This was no different than that, he tried to remind himself as he though about her long legs and freckled chest.

 _Get a grip_ , he told himself. _She just broke up with her fiancé._

He tried his hardest to push her out of his mind, but it didn't stop his subconscious from bringing dreams of Beth to him all night.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I made Daryl the "chef" in this story for the sheer fact that I always see Beth bringing the food on these types of Bethyl adventures. Men can be good cooks too! And working a grocery store sort of forces you to expand your palate, so that's what I envisioned happened to Daryl. (My fiancé works at Trader Joes so I know from experience!)_

 _(By the way, I totally envision Glenn's grocery store as being Trader Joes-esque.)_

 _Also, I've started doing something new and posting new chapters to my new "writing" Tumblr at caitlinwritesstuff. I'm a huge music buff, so I use music a lot as inspiration for my stories. I thought it might be cool to include that with each chapter. So, if you're interested in seeing that, please follow me over there! I'll be adding past stories with all my song inspirations as well, over time._

 _On another note, I'm getting married at the end of August, so posting may slow down a little bit in the weeks to come as things get more hectic. Then I will be on a two-week hiatus from August 25 - September 6. Once I get back I will try to get back into my normal posting! Thanks for your patience!_

 _Also, as always, thanks so much for reading, following and favoriting and please leave a review!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Graduate**

Chapter 8 - The Camping Trip: Part 1

* * *

It wasn't a date.

Beth knew this and told herself that Daryl was simply being nice because he felt bad about what happened with Jimmy and she was going because, well, frankly, she didn't have any plans that day. And there were worse things she could be doing than going camping with Daryl Dixon.

Morning came quickly. Unsure of what to expect, she dressed modestly in jeans, a tank top and her heaviest boots, then braided her hair down her back. In a small bag, she packed extra clothes for the next day and for sleeping, her toothbrush and hairbrush and deodorant. She wondered if she'd need anything else and as if to answer the question, she heard Daryl's knock at her door.

Her heart picked up its pace and she wished it wouldn't, so she straightened herself up and went to answer the door with all the confidence she could muster.

When she pulled back the door, Daryl was there, holding a backpack in one hand, giving her a small smile. "Mornin' Beth."

The heat of the day was already pouring through the door but she felt shivers radiate down the back of her spine anyway at the sound of his voice.

He was wearing jeans, brown boots and a sleeveless white top with a faded logo she couldn't quite make out on the front. Today, his hair was wet from his morning shower and Beth found herself thinking very inappropriately about how his morning must have gone before she shook herself out it and replied, "Hi Daryl."

"You all packed?" he asked, holding the backpack out to her. "Should be able to fit everything in here. It's a hiking backpack so it'll be easier on your back," he explained.

"Thanks," she said, taking it from him. It was heavier than she expected, but she realized there was something inside.

"Oh," he said, recognizing her confusion. "I packed us some snacks and water." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Figure we may get hungry along the way."

She smiled then. The grin escaped her, she couldn't help herself. "I appreciate it," she said gratefully. "Just give me a second to get my bag in here."

The small sack she'd packed fit easily into the large backpack. Daryl took it from her as they walked out and Beth locked the door behind herself. She turned, following him to his motorcycle. Ahead of her, he packed both of their backpacks into the small metal trailer attached to it, then handed her a helmet which she secured to her head.

She was getting more comfortable riding with Daryl, though she hadn't been more than a few miles with him. She wondered how far they were going. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. But he looked cool, calm and collected, like he always did. She told herself he'd have no reason to feel nervous around her anyway and felt foolish for feeling so around him.

Expertly, he climbed on the bike, steadying it for her. She got on, this time, managing to feel a bit more confident doing it, then placed her arms around him.

She always put her fingers on him tentatively at first, but her grip would inevitably tighten when Daryl picked up speed as they drove. The fear of being on a two-wheeled vehicle never allowed her to really enjoy having her arms around him. Not that she should enjoy having her arms around him. He was just a normal guy. A friend.

She kept trying to remind herself of that.

"You ready?" he asked her, like he always did, calling over his shoulder and she gave a forceful nod. He backed them up carefully, and they were off.

This time, Beth forced herself to try and enjoy the ride. And once she got over the fact that there was nothing surrounding her or Daryl and realized that he had complete control over the bike, she allowed herself to relax. Her grip loosened slightly around him and she let her shoulders sag back a little and closed her eyes, sticking her face into the breeze.

The wind was pleasant against her skin. The speed limit in town wasn't very fast and Daryl had mentioned they'd be taking back roads all the way up. She looked at their surroundings; the rolling hills slowly getting greener with more shrubbery. Then, trees appeared at the edge of the road, getting thicker and thicker, and as Daryl took the bike up a side, gravel road, Beth knew they were getting close.

Their surroundings were earthy and grassy, the smell of pure nature washing over her. It was an intoxicating smell - fresh dirt and grass and air, and she breathed deeply, grasping Daryl tighter without really meaning to. She couldn't hide her excitement.

They drove past a green, wooden sign, yellow faded letters spelling out, "Johns Mountain Wildlife Management Area". The gravel road ended at a dirt parking lot where a few cars were scattered. Daryl parked, steadying the bike again to allow Beth to hop off, which she did, slowly.

Using the side-stand, he parked the bike as Beth removed her helmet. He turned towards her, grabbing it from her and shoved both of their helmets into the case on the back of the bike. Methodically, he went to the trailer, securing everything to their backpacks and handing Beth's to her.

She slipped the backpack over her shoulders, the weight surprising her, but certainly not unmanageable. She didn't want Daryl to think she was weak by any means, so she picked up the tackle box and straightened her body.

He situated himself and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "You good?" he asked.

"Fine," she said with a smile.

He nodded. "Let's go."

And so they left, past the motorcycle, through the small dirt parking lot and down an unmistakable trail that led upwards. Trees were everywhere, green and thin, rising high into the sky, staggered between each other, making the landscape seem massive. The trail they began their travels down was narrow, but the distance felt endless. And she loved it.

Birds sang in the distance, crickets chirping. Twigs cracked underneath their feet. The sun shone through the tall tops of the trees, over them in slivers. She paused for a minute, looking upwards, enjoying the moment - the wilderness, the clean air. She closed her eyes and sighed.

When she opened them, Daryl was turned, staring at her, lips turned upwards in an unmistakable smile. He ran his hand over his chin, thumb over his beard. "You like it?" he asked, sounding almost uncertain.

"So much," Beth said breathlessly. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "It is." He turned back around and started walking again. Beth trotted a little quicker to keep up with him.

"How often do you come here?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Depends on the weather. But usually I try to come every other week," he answered. The trail curved slightly to the left and then sloped upwards. All Beth could see in the distance was trees, trees, and more trees.

"You bring a lot of people up here?" she inquired, thinking of all the extra supplies he had.

"Not really," he huffed as they walked up the incline. "Took Rick a few times. That's why I have the extra stuff." He looked over his shoulder at her. His blue eyes twinkled, the sunlight reflecting off of them making them a bright blue.

They'd reached flat ground again at the top of the incline and as they stood on top of it, Beth saw to the right, a trail that traveled between more trees and into the unknown. To the left was tall grass, thick trees and shrubbery. So when Daryl shifted to go left, Beth looked at him curiously.

"Where're you goin'?" she asked. "Trail goes this way." She pointed to the right.

"Just follow me," he answered coyly, crashing through the grass. This went against everything Beth was. She was a true "follow the trail" kind of girl. She rocked on her heels. Hesitating, she watched him for a minute, disappearing into the trees, and then, she followed him, feeling adventurous and terrified all at once.

* * *

They had walked for a while, stomping their way through grass and shrubs, dodging trees and avoiding risen roots on the dirt floor. Daryl seemed to know exactly where he was going and Beth followed his every move with precision.

Daryl wasn't much of a talker, focused instead on the route in front of them. But Beth found that she was okay with the silence - even _needing_ the silence after the week she'd had.

They'd stopped for a lunch break (granola bars and raisins) and a rest already, but her backpack was starting to take its toll on her back, and the tackle box kept feeling like it was going to slip from her sweaty hands and she sort of wished she'd put on more deodorant, so she thought about maybe asking Daryl if they could take another break, but before she could, he stopped, turned back at her and smiled.

"We're here," he said simply.

She came up next to him where he stood, at the edge of the tree line. As she peered out she let out a small gasp, unable to help herself. The trees ended, leading out to one of the most breathtaking landscapes she'd ever laid eyes on. There was a flat dirt and gravel land that curved around a small lake, ending at a pile of gray rocks that dipped into the water. The lake was calm, the water a rich blue green, glittering like diamonds in the bright sun. The wind created ripples which causing the water's edge to lap at the dirt and rocks on the shore.

In the distance were tall mountains littered with plush, green trees making a "V" shape, the sky blue and cloudless beyond it. She felt like she was in a postcard. It was, as Daryl had said, a little slice of heaven.

"Wow," she let herself say. She looked at Daryl who was peering down at her with that coy little smile of his. "Daryl. This is amazin'."

He nodded at her. "Thought you'd like it." He turned away from her then. "Let's get unpacked."

They went out into the clearing, depositing their backpacks on the ground and Beth stood up, straightening her spine and inhaling. The lake was crisp, clean and refreshing, giving off a different smell than their hike through the forest.

Sure, her and Maggie went back to the farm once a month, but she'd hadn't enjoyed the land much while she was there. She hadn't been this close to nature in _years_. Jimmy had been a farm boy, but he'd never really thrived there. He always scoffed at the idea of going back to the farm. Camping was _certainly_ something he would have never done with her.

Daryl went to work immediately, setting up the tent first by securing the posts into the ground, inserting the flexible poles and popping it up to life. Once it was up, Beth stuffed the sleeping bags inside to their own respective sides, surprised at the amount of space the small tent seemed to hold.

When she turned back around, Daryl was inspecting his tackle box and the two fishing rods he had brought.

"You ain't never caught a fish before?" he inquired, as she came over towards him. He handed her one of the poles which she took from him hesitantly.

"Nope." The pole felt long, awkward and flimsy in her hands.

"Well, you're gonna learn. None of that geometry stuff today. Just plain 'ol fishin'." He turned towards the lake, away from her, the fishing rod in one hand, other hand in his back pocket, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. He was in his element. Beth could tell. He just seemed _happy._ She'd never seen him so comfortable before. Strangely, she almost felt intrusive being in such an intimate place with him.

They walked to the water's edge. As Beth came closer, she really saw how pristine the lake water was, sparkling in the summer sun, clear as glass, small ripples drifting off into the distance.

"Alright. We're gonna try a side arm cast. It's easy to learn," he told her as he hooked a crawfish looking bait on both lines.

"Okay," Beth replied, awkwardly holding her own rod, unsure of what to do with it or where to point it.

"Just watch me," he said. And so she did. He held the rod with both hands, delicately, and lifted something towards the handle. "This is the bail," he explained, lifting it to release the string. "Just release it and then…" He trailed off and she watched him. With expert precision and what looked like no effort at all, he flicked his line into the water, so that the bait landed a ways out in the water.

He looked across the water, satisfied, then back at Beth. "See? Easy. Think you can do it?" he asked.

She looked up at the line that extended way above her head, and then the dangling bait. She positioned herself beside Daryl and brought the rod back like he had done, pulling up the bail as he had shown her. The line released a little and she pulled back to the side of her body and swung the whole thing towards the water. Obediently, the line sailed out, landing even farther in the water than Daryl's had.

In awe of herself, she grinned, a wide smile that made her cheeks hurt and she looked at Daryl for confirmation that she'd done a good job.

He nodded at her. "Not bad for a first timer!" he exclaimed happily.

She looked back at her line. "So, what happens when you catch one?" she asked him.

He gave a soft laugh. "Well, I got a bobber on there, so when you catch somethin' you'll see it start to bob a 'lil in the water. Might feel a little tug. We'll reel it in, unhook it, de-bone it and cook it up for our dinner. But you gotta catch one first." She turned towards him and he was staring out across the water.

He was handsome, almost stoic-looking against the majestic background of the scenery that surrounded them. The forest made Beth feel small, sort of clumsy, a little out of her element, but Daryl - he looked calm and secure, feet firmly planted on the ground, holding onto his fishing rod with one hand. His skin was tanned, indicating he spent a lot of time out in the sun, shoulders wide, solid chest and strong legs. Not like tall, lanky Jimmy. Much different than Jimmy.

She wished she'd stop thinking about Jimmy.

"D'ya think we'll…catch something?" Beth asked.

Daryl nodded. "That's the idea. There's trout in this lake. Can be pretty delicious to eat, if we cook 'em right. I'll do my best."

"I'm sure it'll be perfect," she said. She thought maybe his ears had turned pink at that, but she pretended not to notice.

After only a minute, Beth saw that the end of her line had started to bob. Daryl had noticed too and he sunk his own rod into the dirt, digging it in so that it stood to fully attention, the line still extended into the water. He came over towards her.

"Looks like you got somethin'," he said, pointing out towards the water. He was next to her now, his arm touching her own, both of them staring out at the bobber. "Lock your bail and reel him in," he instructed her, and she did as she was told. The reel tugged and tugged and tugged and finally, with a small _splash,_ an unmistakable trout splashed from the water, thrashing against the hook. She pulled in the fish until she couldn't anymore and it was dangling on the end of her line.

Daryl looked at it proudly, then back at Beth. "Beth Greene," he said her name very seriously and she felt like she might melt into a puddle. "You just caught your first fish."

Beth smiled again, and the smile widened, leading into a laugh. A giggle. From low within her belly, she actually let out a true giggle, something she hadn't done at all in the past week. And it felt _damn_ good.

* * *

Daryl caught a second fish next, then Beth caught two in a row, both of which Daryl had her throw back into the water. As they fished beside each other, she found out a little more about Daryl. His brother, Merle, didn't sound like that great of a guy. His father, a drunk, had died a few years back. He barely knew his mother - she'd died when he was just a boy.

He told her he'd kind of been a drifter his whole life. Never felt like he fit in much, but living in Dalton was turning out to be okay and she smiled at that, hoping he'd stay a while instead of drifting again. She told him all about school and the classes she was taking and they didn't talk about Jimmy once. He didn't ask or pry like Maggie and Tara had. All that nervousness for nothing - Daryl was actually quite easy to talk to.

When they finished, they settled near a man-made rock circle on the ground near the tent. He had placed the cooler nearby as well as the tackle box and cooler.

"Ever built a fire?" Daryl asked, setting up the portable grill rack to place the fish on top of. He took their poles and laid them off to the side.

"Um, I've watched my brother do it before," she said, feeling silly. "We used to camp out on the farm once in a while, when we were kids. My Daddy was never a big fan of the fires though. Think he thought we might burn the place down."

Daryl gave a small laugh and a nod. "Don't blame him. Well, wanna help me collect some wood?" He wiped his hands on his pants and looked at her. His gaze was a little intimidating. She felt her stomach do hula hoops as their eyes met and she nodded.

They went back into the woods, busying themselves with finding all sorts of twigs and logs and leaves to burn. Then, Daryl taught her how to build a fire. His instructions were simple and his words were soft. His hands worked methodically, carefully, _showing her,_ finally lighting a match, igniting the twigs with orange flames, feeding them to larger branches, bigger logs until the fire was thick and smoky and perfect and he stood from his knees, glancing at it with an accomplished sort of gaze.

"Ready to de-bone a fish?"

She was not, but she wasn't about to tell him that. They wandered towards the grill rack Daryl had set up and stared at the trout. Their big eyes, looking up at her. Skin looking slimy and wet. She liked eating fish just fine, but after it was cooked and prepared. This was new for her.

Without warning, Daryl handed her a fish and a small knife, taking his own in his hands and dragging the cooler over towards them so they had a small surface to work off of. "Watch me," he said, getting to his knees. He held the head of the fish and slipped a knife under the gills "There's a bone here," he pulled up skin, "cut across the bone, the head and find the spine." He did this all very gracefully, moving his knife like a surgeon.

Beth picked up her own fish in between her thumb and index finger and it slipped between them, falling on the top of the cooler. She tried again, pulling it up, slipping her knife in like Daryl had done, but it slipped against the slick skin and the knife pulled, making contact with her thumb and a jolt of pain erupted. She'd cut herself, she realized instantly, pulling her hand away, letting the fish and the knife clatter to the plastic quickly.

She hissed in pain, feeling embarrassed as she held her thumb to her lips, wincing, closing her eyes.

"Shit, Beth, you okay?" she heard Daryl say and she opened one eye to look at him.

"Fine," she sucked at her wound. "Just clumsy."

"Lemme see," he said, grabbing for her hand. She let him take it in his own. They were still slick from the fish, large, calloused and thick and she was still in pain but aware that he was holding her and inspecting her and she looked back at her own finger which was pulsing out blood from a small cut. "Wait here," he said, dropping her hand and standing.

She watched him pull a bandana from his pocket, bringing it over to the water's edge and dip it in, moistening it and bringing it back to her. He came to his knees again, in front of her, taking her hand again, dabbing away the blood, then he turned towards his tackle box to pull out a band-aid.

Beth smiled at him as he unwrapped it, wrapping it around her thumb. "I've done that a million times," he said kindly. "That's why I got these." He was so close to her now that she could feel his breath on her fingers as he spoke. She was shivering. It was at least ninety degrees out and she was shivering.

When he was done mending the wound, he looked up at her, his hands still cupping hers, thumb gliding against her skin. And then, he released her hand, turning back towards the fish. "I'll finish up, okay?" he said.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I want you to show me."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, surprised. "You sure?"

She nodded forcefully. "A 'lil cut don't scare me."

* * *

Beth had butchered the fish, but was relatively pleased with herself that she'd removed all of the bones. Daryl poured some seasoning on the fish, set the portable grill rack over their fire and was cooking them up for dinner. It smelled delicious. A rich charred scent rose up over the fire, the spices mixing in quite nicely and when he took them off, bubbling and hot, she found that her mouth was watering.

They sat side by side, away from the fire, looking out over the lake, eating their catch on paper plates Daryl had packed in the cooler. He'd also packed some beer for himself and wine for her and they drank out of red Solo cups, taking sips of bottled water in between.

The sun was getting ready to set, coming down from above them, settling perfectly in between the "V" of trees in the distance. Beth suddenly wished she'd brought a swimsuit to go swimming in the lake. She didn't know if it was the wine or the excitement of the day, but she couldn't help but ask him. "You ever go swimmin' in the lake?"

He looked over to her, eyes curious, studying her. "Nah," he answered.

She looked back out over the lake. Pristine and gorgeous, the surface shimmering in the sunlight. Tempting her. "We should go swimmin'," she decided suddenly.

"Hmm?" he was sucking the rest of his fish off his fingers.

"Swimmin' Daryl, c'mon."

She stared at him and he stared at her dumbfounded. "I dunno. I'm not…really…much of a swimmer," he said.

Beth ignored him as she stood up, abandoning her wine and the remnants of her dinner. She kicked off her boots, pulled off her socks and let her bare feet hit the dirt. At this point she wasn't sure if she needed Daryl to come with her. Totally unaware of his eyes on her, she unbuttoned her jeans, slipping them off, revealing a tasteful pair of boyshorts and ran into the lake, until the water reached her waist.

The water was warmer than she expected it to be, pebbles around her feet, shallow plants tickling her toes. It was glorious. Freeing. Something she hadn't known she'd needed until this very moment.

"C'mon Daryl," she shouted to him on the shore.

He'd stood up, shaking his head at her in disbelief, but he was still smiling. That smile. She could watch him smile forever.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Sorry for a bit of a wait on this one but holy moly, I had a hard time getting through the beginning of this and I have no idea why. I think I'm still working on my AU Daryl and Beth characters. They are quite different than ZA Daryl and Beth, so bare with me while I work out the kinks. Next chapter will be from Daryl's POV. Will he join Beth in the lake? What will the rest of their trip be like!? Stay tuned…_

 _Song Inspiration: "See The World" - Caamp_

 _Follow me on Tumblr: caitlinwritesstuff_

 _Follow me on Twitter: camurray4688_


	9. Chapter 9

**Graduate**

Chapter 9 - The Camping Trip: Part 2

* * *

The girl was impulsive, that was for sure. Impulsive and completely unexpected. From first glance she looked like a dainty little thing, but now he wasn't sure if that was the case with Miss Beth Greene as he watched her splash about in the lake. _His_ lake.

She was grinning and having a good old time and kept calling him in with that sweet little voice of hers. He flinched, thinking about it. Maybe he'd have another beer and soak his toes a little. Maybe he could just roll his jeans up and let the water roll over his calves. That might actually feel nice.

Beth was floating now, her face towards the sun, little pointed, freckled nose peeking just above the edge of the water. He was grinning like an idiot and started untying his boots, accepting the fact that he was completely enamored by this girl without any real explanation.

She'd popped up again and was looking at him, her blonde hair, now wet, slicked back against her head. She was smiling at him with a knowing gaze, like she'd succeeded in getting him to do something.

"I'm not comin' in the whole way," he yelled at her, feeling like he might laugh, rolling up his jeans, revealing hairy, strong (and to his great displeasure, very white) calves.

"Whatta scared or somethin'?" she yelled at him mischievously, using her arms to propel her body forward in the water. Her ass came up for a minute, bony and cute in her black panties. He tried not to look. Tried being the operative word.

"Nah," he grumbled out towards her. "Told you. Ain't much of a swimmer."

She was much closer to him now, still hovering under the water, her limbs distorted. Daryl's feet met the water and he waded out until the cuff of his rolled up jeans were wet. He had to admit the water did feel nice. The sun was almost gone beyond the mountains in the distance, but the air was still hot. The lake was refreshing.

Water hit him in the face, breaking his trance and he glared down at Beth who was floating on her back again, splashing him with her feet.

"Can't believe you've never been swimmin' in this beautiful lake," Beth yelled up towards the sky. "This is, amazin'." She let her body go straight again, her shoulders and long neck visible. She looked at him and sighed audibly. "God, I needed this."

Daryl was staring at her. He knew it and couldn't help himself and she looked away shyly, knowing that he was. He flushed. "Don't really…know how to swim," he admitted to her, letting the truth sail over the water to her ears.

They'd never gone swimming as kids, unless you count Will Dixon throwing him and Merle out of a fishing boat in a fit of rage, once, when he was younger. Daryl had almost drowned, and probably would have, had Merle not tugged him out by the collar of his shirt. After that, he stayed away from swimming all together.

She frowned at him, thinking about it for a minute. "I can teach you," she offered.

"No way," Daryl said. "This trip is for me to teach you stuff. You've already taught me enough."

Her smile was back as he said it. "Alright," she agreed. "Fair's fair. But next time, I'm gonna teach you how to swim."

 _Next time_.

He grinned even wider at that.

* * *

Night came and the air changed and Beth and Daryl came out of the lake. Beth had changed into new clothes - a pair of cotton black shorts and an oversized sweatshirt she claimed was her brother's, but Daryl thought it might have been her ex's. He didn't bring him up. Any part of it. He didn't think there was any reason to. If she wanted to talk about it with him, she would.

Instead, they sat next to the fire that was still blazing wildly. Beth was telling Daryl about the poetry class she was taking and he couldn't stop watching her mouth move. She was still sipping her wine, the skin on her face pink from the alcohol or the fire, he didn't know, but he liked it.

She seemed happy. He hoped she was happy. Hoped that maybe she wasn't dwelling on her breakup. Thinking that maybe they could do this again soon, like she'd mentioned. It had been a long time since he'd enjoyed someone's company this much.

"What kinda music do you like?" she was asking him, leaning back in the dirt, crossing her legs out in front of her.

He shrugged. "I guess rock," he answered, thinking. "Old school stuff. A little country," he admitted.

She nodded. "What's your favorite song?"

He had to think about that one. "Gone Shootin'," he decided. "AC/DC."

Beth was on her phone, that little pink case looking red against the fire. Typing something. Little clicks rang out into the silence of the night.

Drums started up on the speaker, then familiar guitar - she was playing the song on her phone. He looked at her, a little wide-eyed, a goofy grin slapped across his face. He tried to hide it, but came to find that he couldn't. She bobbed her head to the music as she let the song play.

It was one of those songs that brought him back to a different time, and he couldn't help but shake his head to the beat, close his eyes, pretend to drum on a drum set that wasn't really there, jamming. It was fun. He was happy. The beer was sort of hitting him. And when he opened his eyes and saw Beth there, smiling, half-giggling, enjoying the song herself, he couldn't help but laugh.

"That," Beth said, taking another sip from her cup as the song ended, "is a great song." She was looking at him with heavy eyes. The wine was hitting her too.

Daryl nodded in response. "That's why it's my favorite," he said with a laugh. He was going to call it a night with the beer. Maybe suggest they call it a night completely. Get up early and hike back. Give her a little space.

But before he could move or say anything further, a new song came on. A slow one. Piano and a soft voice, and all of the sudden Beth was reaching for his hand. Hers felt small and soft tugging at his own, and he looked at her. Her eyes danced wildly, the fire reflecting in them.

"Dance with me," she said softly. So soft, he wasn't sure he'd heard her.

"Wha—?"

"Dance with me!" she giggled. Flirtatiously. And he was okay with that. A little bit of flirting never hurt anyone. So they stood up, and Beth was in front of him, putting her arms around his neck and he grasped at her waist gently, almost not wanting to touch her, not wanting this to be _something,_ not wanting her to think he was trying anything. Or worse, that he was trying something because she'd broken up with her fiancé.

He was almost afraid to look at her. But he did anyway, and holy _fucking_ hell was she beautiful in the light of the fire. Lidded eyes and wet, pink, full lips. Big blue eyes, watching him. Her smile peeking through. She was humming the song that was still playing from her phone on the ground.

She swayed and he followed her awkwardly, his feet feeling large and clunky, Beth feeling so small in his arms, and she let a big sigh go and brought her arms down, around his middle, hugging him and melting into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her while they moved side by side still.

Daryl didn't know what was happening or why it was happening but it felt when something felt nice to Daryl Dixon he'd learned to kind of just roll with it. It had been a long time since he'd been so close to someone, especially like this.

The song changed, but they kept swaying. She kept her arms around him. Not too tightly, but comforting. She felt so damn small to him, even though she was tall enough for him to rest his chin on top of her head. And she smelled good. Even after being swimming in that lake. Even after fishing and hiking through the woods and getting dirty, she still smelled floral and sweet. Like lavender.

She was nuzzling her face into his chest and his heart was pounding against his ribcage, but he felt good and it all felt right and it seemed like she really enjoyed being here and being with him, so he leant down and kissed her forehead. He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was too forward. But, maybe she would think nothing of it.

Beth seized in his arms, going rigid, looking up at him, dropping her arms to her sides. Her mouth was slightly open and she stared at him, her mind searching for words and Daryl broke into a sweat, knowing immediately that it was the wrong thing to do.

"Sorry," he said immediately.

"No. I'm sorry," Beth said. "I didn't mean — I mean. Thanks for the dance." She looked over towards the tent. "Maybe, we should call it a night?" She said it as a question, but it was more of a statement. The moment was broken, floating away in the distance. And just like that. Beth was pushing him away.

"Beth," Daryl said, wanting to explain, but she had turned away from him, wandering towards the tent, unzipping it and slipping inside.

His heart sank, and his arms felt empty and he felt embarrassed, shame rising up from his chest, going over every single move he'd made since the moment the trip had started. His lips against her forehead - fuck, he had gone too far.

He slumped over to the fire, to put it out, hating himself through every movement. Wishing he hadn't messed it up. Who was he kidding anyway - Beth wouldn't want to fall into the arms of the next man who showed an interest in her. And Daryl didn't want to be that person either.

Plus, shit, Beth could be with _any_ guy she wanted. And Daryl? He was some nobody she'd been guilted into tutoring.

When he lowered himself into the tent, zipping it behind himself, he couldn't help but stare at the back of Beth's head which was moving up and down ever so slightly with the breaths she was taking, falling into sleep. He wished he didn't like being near her so much. He wish he didn't feel this way about her. He wished he thought of her as just a friend.

* * *

When Daryl opened his eyes again, sun was shining through the fabric of the tent and their surroundings smelt like fresh dew. It was one of Daryl's favorite things to wake up to.

He heard a shift beside him. Beth in her sleeping bag, making small, delicate movements. Daryl wondered if she was awake. The embarrassment and the shame of how the night had ended consumed him, yet again, washing away the enjoyment he felt as he woke. He sat up, rubbing his face with his hands.

Beth had rolled over to face him, her eyes sleepy, still unsure of where she was. Daryl thought of how disappointed she probably would be that she was still here with him. Quickly, he gathered himself, rolling the sleeping bag and tugging on his boots before he moved to unzip the tent.

She was watching him, he could feel her gaze on him and he wished she would say something. The sun hit him abruptly and he moved to shield the sun from his eyes with his arm as he got out of the tent, pulling the sleeping bag with him.

He could hear Beth making movements behind him and he decided to leave her be, attaching the sleeping bag to his backpack and going over to the lake to splash some water on his face. He looked out over the water, trying to enjoy the beauty as he usually did and he thought maybe next time it would just better to come alone.

A zip of the tent told him that she was finished doing whatever she was doing and he came back over towards her to start disassembling the tent.

"We should get a move on," Daryl grunted, not looking at her.

"Okay," she said in a small, tired voice. He almost wondered if she'd slept at all last night.

The silence was excruciating, and Beth moved away from him to pack herself up and he ignored her presence as best he could to pack up the tent. Once he was done, the place felt sort of empty. Almost like they hadn't been there at all.

Together, Daryl and Beth slipped on the backpacks and faced each other.

"Daryl," Beth said slowly, looking at the ground.

"Hmm?" he answered nervously.

"I just wanna say thanks," she looked at him then. Those big blue eyes sunk into him, like she could see what was inside his head. It was a little intimidating. "For bringing me here. And…" she hesitated, "that I'm not lookin' for someone to replace Jimmy…" She bit her lip. "I hope we can be friends."

 _Friends_.

"Yeah Beth," Daryl said, turning away from her. "That's what we are. Friends."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Thanks guys for reading and please leave a review! Also, I'm really appreciating everyone who's sticking with this story. I'm just not thrilled with it. I guess I'm not feeling super fluffy lately! Anyway, all of your support is really appreciated. I get into writing ruts sometimes, so it helps to know that there are people reading...You all are wonderful and amazing. :)_

 _Song Inspiration:_

 _"Gone Shootin'" - AC/DC_

 _"Break In" - Halestorm_

 _And, as always - follow me on Twitter camurray4688 and Tumblr caitlinwritesstuff._


	10. Chapter 10

**Graduate**

Chapter 10 - The Last Session

* * *

He'd kissed her forehead and she'd felt something strange. A jolt, deep in her belly that rose up and filled her chest with butterflies. The familiar feeling of anxiety spread through her like wildfire. Her eyes snapped back and she was suddenly very aware of herself and how forward she'd been with Daryl and she flushed, instantly, with embarrassment.

She'd retreated into the tent. Probably the wrong move but, Jimmy had been it for her for so many years that she didn't know what she was doing. He was her first boyfriend. Her first kiss. Her first time with a man. Her first love. Or so she'd thought.

Her first thought was that Daryl felt sorry for her. And the next day she wanted to make it abundantly clear that Beth Greene was _not_ someone to feel sorry for. And they'd be friends. And that was what she wanted.

Wasn't it?

* * *

The week passed and Beth couldn't get through a class, or an errand, without thinking about Daryl. She hated herself for it, but couldn't help to keep checking her phone to see if he'd called or texted. Every time her phone vibrated in her pocket or her purse, she'd lunge for it, her heart racing, hoping she'd open the device and see his name.

She wondered if maybe, she should text him and racked her brain for an excuse as to why. Maybe she would move their tutoring session. So she typed out a message, and then deleted it. She thought, maybe she would ask him to lunch and after typing out a paragraph leading up to asking him to lunch, she deleted that message too. Why did _talking_ to him suddenly feel so impossible?

And then, on Friday, her phone vibrated again. Exhausted after a week of wondering if Daryl would text her, she tried to not get her hopes up. When she clicked open her phone, her heart did pick up its pace again, but not in any good sort of way. It was just a number she hadn't expected to see.

Jimmy.

She let out a groan as she opened the message.

 _I gotta come get my stuff._

She knew that would happen eventually and wasn't sure why she felt surprised. Or why she felt so angry about it. The man may have been a cheater, but he still had a right to all his things.

 **It's all packed up** , she responded, after a few minutes.

She wasn't lying, she had gone down to the grocery (in hopes of seeing Daryl, but he had been on his lunch break) earlier that week to get some free boxes so she could start packing his things away. Glenn was nice enough to give her the boxes that held all the smelly cheese.

Once she started packing him up, she was surprised to find that Jimmy didn't have much in the small closet he had claimed as his when they first moved in. A few suits, jeans - but many of his things were already gone. It made her wonder if he'd been moving out slowly, keeping his things elsewhere, with someone else, and it made her mad all over again. Not just at Jimmy, but because she hadn't noticed.

Beth was fearful that after Jimmy left, their apartment might feel bare or empty or not like home, but in fact, she found it quite the opposite. She found she really enjoyed where she lived. The kitchen was all hers. The fridge, free of the usual case of beer had so much _space._ The bedroom, where, to be fair, she usually slept alone, somehow felt more spacious knowing he wasn't there.

She sang. Turned the radio up and sang to the music that played, as loud as she wanted. She started writing again. She pulled back the curtains that hung over their windows (Jimmy always complained it was too bright,) to let the sunlight in. The place was brighter than she ever could imagine. At night, she opened the windows, listening to the sounds outside, enjoying every single one of them.

This wasn't at all what she imagined calling off an engagement would feel like. What a breakup would feel like. She felt an intense sort of relief - a weight lifted, a sort of freedom she hadn't ever felt before.

 _I'll be by next week_ , Jimmy answered.

 **K.**

 _Asshole_ , she thought.

She placed her phone on the kitchen counter, and looked to the radio that she'd left abandoned next to the kitchen sink earlier that morning. She turned it on, increasing the volume and toying with the radio channels. Static grew, then a pop song that sounded familiar came through the speakers. She turned the dial again. More static, and then…familiar drums, guitar and the raspy, distinct voice that could _only_ be AC/DC.

Narrowing her eyes at the radio, she glared. Hard. "Seriously?" she asked to nobody.

 _Gone shootin'_

 _My baby's gone shootin'_

She shrugged then, dancing to the rest of the song, shimmying her shoulders as she twisted and grooved all the way around her kitchen island, pointing her finger at the walls, singing into an invisible microphone and letting herself go.

* * *

Saturday finally came and Beth was glad for it, not sure if she could stand another day without seeing Daryl after their camping trip. She thought it fascinating that when she wasn't thinking about him, he'd popped up all over town, but when she'd wanted to see him, he was nowhere to be found.

But today - today, she knew where he'd be. At the school, to have their tutoring lesson and she was more nervous than she'd ever been to see him.

Something had changed after their camping trip. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but the way she felt about Daryl had changed. She'd always _noticed_ him - his muscles, the features of his face, his husky voice. She thought any woman who came near him would notice those things.

But she hadn't really _known_ him or spent time with him. She'd gone from spending a few hours once a week with him to a whole day and night. And that was new for Beth. She knew they were friends, but…did friends really have to keep telling themselves that they were _just_ friends?

She wasn't sure.

Choosing a plain, loose black shirt and a pair of jean shorts to wear, she combed through her hair, brushed her teeth, grabbed a granola bar and wandered out of her apartment with her backpack of tutoring things to find her bike. It sat, faithful, chained to the bike rack and she methodically unchained it, stuffing the lock into her backpack and climbed on.

The bike ride was soothing, even in the Georgia summer heat. There was something about being on her bike, the wind surrounding her, the sun pouring down on her skin, that was so comforting and familiar. Beth knew how to drive, she'd gotten her license at sixteen, much to her father's dismay. But Jimmy had taken the truck and Beth had been strangely okay with that. She hadn't been able to use it much anyway.

She arrived, leaving the sidewalk and entering the parking lot of the school, riding right up to the bike rack, noticing Daryl's motorcycle already in the parking lot. She'd been coming to meet him so she was surprised when her heart picked up its pace again as she climbed off, locking it up.

The high school was cool, the air conditioning cranked up high to balance out the heat outside. The cafeteria doors were open and Daryl was already sitting at a table, his feet propped up on another chair, head buried in one of the GED training books they'd picked up at the bookstore, a pencil twirling in one of his hands.

"Hey Daryl," she called into the empty room and he perked up, looking at her from over the large textbook, his eyes wide and a little surprised.

"Hi Beth," he responded, looking back down at the book. He stuck the eraser of the pencil he was holding in his mouth. "Think we can work on science today? Keep gettin' stuck on these questions."

Relief hit her like a brick. His tone wasn't awkward. The question wasn't strange. It was normal. Just like it had been before. So why did she feel like she needed to remind herself to breathe?

"Of course," she answered, sitting down beside him. From her backpack she pulled another workbook, pens, pencils and a few pads of paper. "What's the question you're stuck on?"

He frowned. "A cook decides to recover some table salt that has been completely dissolved in water. Which of the following processes would be the most effective method of extracting salt from the solution?" he read from the book. "And I can't decide if it's boiling away the water, pouring the solution through cloth or dripping the solution through a paper filter." He stared up at her, puzzled.

Beth nodded at him. "They all seem like they would work. But do you remember when read about how salt is created?"

He thought for a minute. "Right, mining or…" he paused, "evaporation."

She grinned as the answer came to him all on his own.

"So, boil away the water?" he questioned.

She motioned towards the book. "Check the answer."

He flipped to the back of the book and a grin lit up his face. "Sweet," he said.

They continued the lesson, going over question after question and he surprised himself every single time, hardly needing Beth's help. Watching Daryl learn and improve was incredibly rewarding so when he finally checked his watch and told her they'd been sitting there for almost two hours, she couldn't believe it.

"Sorry," Daryl shook his head. "I didn't realize - I know we're only supposed to be studying for an hour."

It was her turn to shake her head. "No, it's fine. Time got away from me, but it's good. Well, good and bad." Beth gave a sigh and met Daryl's eyes. "I think this might be our last session," she said softly, closing up their books and stuffing her things back into the backpack she had.

"And why's that?" he asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

She flashed him another smile. "Because I think you're ready to take the GED test."

Daryl looked a little nervous, glancing back at the textbook he had brought. "You think?" he asked. "I might need another…session. Not sure I'm ready." He was fumbling with his hands.

She shook her head at him. "You're ready. Just don't second guess yourself so much. I know you'll pass. You're a lot smarter than you think." He seemed to accept the compliment, but also shy away from it, and from her, running his hand through his beard.

"Look," she said. "Go online and register for the exam and they'll tell you where you can take it. It's a long test, so prepare to be there for most of the day."

"But," he was hesitating now, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "What if…I don't pass."

She cocked her head at him, and then without thinking she reached over and grabbed his hand in her own. "Don't worry about that right now. Just do your best. We can deal with that if we need to. And that's a big if."

He was looking down at her hands that held his own, staring at them like he was trying to understand. "You know," he said suddenly, as she pulled her hands back into her own lap, "I'm sorry if I came across as too forward the other night."

"What?" Beth asked, processing his words.

"I just…" he took a breath, "wanted to do something nice, to, you know, cheer you up. And it just felt good to be close to someone and I'm sorry. I'm not tryin' to replace your fiancé or anythin'. I wanna be friends."

Her mouth was open, she was fully aware of that as she listened to his words. "Oh Daryl," she said. "It's not you. You didn't do anythin' wrong. I'm a mess. Just a full blown mess. I'm tryin' to figure out…my life." It sounded dramatic, but it was true. "And I want to be friends. I like spendin' time with you." She hoped _that_ wasn't too forward.

He gave her a half smile at that and she warmed to it, happily. "Alright. And if you think I'm ready to take this damn test, I'm gonna take it," he said with new found confidence.

They sat there for a minute just smiling at each other and she wished he would smile more. When his mouth opened, showing his teeth, it did something else to his face. His eyes creased up into slivers, his cheeks lifted, his lips looked plumper and he looked younger somehow. She was fully aware of her own mouth smiling and his eyes on her and she involuntarily gave a nervous chuckle, before looking away to pull the backpack over her shoulders.

"Will you let me know when you're taking the test?" she asked. "For moral support," she added.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Alright. And when I pass, I fully expect a _huge_ party in my honor," he joked.

"Done," she responded, not missing a beat.

* * *

 **A/N:** First, sorry for the short chapter. I have to travel before the wedding so I'm hoping on the plane and at night I'll have some time to write and get a little further before I totally go MIA for 2 weeks. Also, I think at first I said this story might be like 14-15 chapters or something, but it's going to end up being a little longer. Next chapter will be Daryl's POV.

Second, I want to apologize for the inconsistencies in this story. I've said this before in other stories, but I'm a little bit of an impulsive writer which is something that I need to work on and hope to with future stories. But I also want to give a big shoutout to all of those people keeping me honest because it helps me understand where I need work. And that's a big part of growing as a writer! So I appreciate it. :) And I think the ones that were caught were fixed. I have a long list of notes now, along with my outline so hopefully that will help.

I'm trying to stay on top of these things, but my head is all over the place right now. ANYWAY, thanks for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing! You all are so wonderful.


	11. Chapter 11

**Graduate**

Chapter 11 - The Test

* * *

He stared at the computer screen, the cursor of his mouse hovering over the submit button on the GED form he'd just filled out in order to take the test. He was using one of the computers in library of the school where Beth had been tutoring him since he didn't own one of his own. Never saw the need, with his smartphone and all. It's not like he used the internet a whole lot. Glenn had asked him once if he was on _Facebook_ and he was very proud to say that he was not.

For a minute, Daryl thought he might just close out the screen and walk away. Tell Beth he didn't feel ready yet so they could have just a few more sessions together. Because after she stopped tutoring him - then what? She'd said they were friends but would she really want to spend time with him afterwards?

No, Beth wasn't like that. She wouldn't just tell him they were friends and not mean it. So, he pushed the thought from his mind.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath as he clicked the button. The page shifted, thanking him for his submission and confirming his space for the test next Saturday and he stared at that for a while too.

He thought about Beth and how nice she'd been to him over the past few weeks. What a great teacher she'd been. Patient and kind, not ever once making him feel stupid if she asked a question or anything. And _beautiful_. So beautiful it hurt sometimes to look at her.

She wanted to be friends and that was okay. Daryl could be her friend. Couldn't he?

* * *

The week dragged on and Daryl went through the motions, pouring over the GED textbooks he'd bought with Beth every single night, studying question after question after question. He couldn't believe how stressed out he was getting over a damn test.

Only, if he was honest with himself, it wasn't just a test. Passing would make Glenn proud, it would make Beth proud and most importantly, it would make him proud of himself.

On Wednesday, Beth came by the grocery store, looking prettier than ever with a pair of jean shorts and a pink t-shirt. She was chatting on her cell phone again, smiling as she walked into the store, the blast of air conditioning hitting her just right so that she looked like something out of a magazine.

He tried not to stare, but he couldn't help himself. She hung up the phone, sticking it in her purse and looked up, her eyes searching her surroundings, landing on _him_. Had she been looking for him? Had she come here for him? She smiled, wide, looking at him in a way that nobody had really ever looked at him before.

She was in front of him quickly, that grin radiating straight through him. "Hi Daryl," she said and he realized his cheeks were hurting from smiling back at her.

"Hey Beth," he answered, clearing his throat, trying to focus on whatever he was doing before. He couldn't remember.

"Did you sign up for the GED test yet?" she asked, keeping her gaze on him.

"Yeah," he answered. "Takin' it this Saturday."

She grinned even wider at that, which he didn't think was possible. "I'm so proud of you!" she squealed and then wrapped her arms around him. He was very aware that he was sweaty from work, wearing a dirty apron, but the girl just didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks," he replied, awkwardly squeezing her back. "But don't be proud of me yet. Gotta pass first."

She stepped back, her face pink. "You will," she said confidently. "You should come over after you take it. Results should be ready on the same day so, maybe we can wait for them together?"

"Yes!" he replied way too quickly. Her eyes widened as he jumped at her offer. "I mean, that sounds great. I'd love to come over afterwards."

"I'll see you Saturday," Beth said with yet another smile, waving her goodbye.

"Can't wait," he called after her.

Something was happening in his stomach as he watched her go. He felt like he was nervous and could laugh and possibly even throw up all at the same time. Whatever it was, he didn't know if he liked it or he hated it, so he went back to work trying not to think about how many hours it would be until he'd seen Beth again.

* * *

Saturday came _finally_ and Daryl was up before his alarm clock even rang. The test started at eight but an early-arriver by nature, he left his apartment almost an hour before he had to be there.

There was no way around it, he was anxious as hell. Normally when he climbed on his bike, all thoughts were cleared from his mind, but today he couldn't think of anything _but_ this test and how badly he wanted to pass it. He thought maybe he hadn't ever wanted anything else in his whole life this bad. Well, maybe except Beth. But he wasn't about to admit that to anyone, even himself.

He'd needed to travel three towns over to get to a testing center. When he got there, finding the testing room after a few wrong turns, there were a few desks lined up with computers. On one side was a mouse and on the other, a notepad, pencil and a calculator. The proctor was already sitting at the front of the room - a young, bored looking man who didn't even look up from his phone as Daryl walked in.

"Go ahead and sit anywhere," he said in a monotone voice, waving to all of the empty chairs in the room.

"Good mornin' to you too," Daryl said under his breath, choosing a desk in the back of the room.

The room was filled after only twenty more minutes with a few more people - a younger pregnant woman who wouldn't stop popping her gum, a middle-aged woman who looked like she was going to cry, a guy who looked about Daryl's age which made him feel a little bit better and another older gentleman with white hair.

The proctor finally looked up once everyone was situated and gave them the simple instructions of how to get the test started. "The computer basically tells you what to do," he said, in a voice that suggested he didn't know why he needed to even be there. "So uh, good luck," he said with another wave of his hand, and sat back down.

Daryl looked at the screen, took a deep breath, and began.

* * *

The test was long and relatively difficult and his head started to hurt after only an hour from staring at a screen, but Daryl made his way through it feeling pretty confident as he'd submitted his last answer.

He was the first to get up and leave, which made him slightly nervous, but he just went with it, waving a goodbye to the proctor at the front of the room who might as well have been asleep.

Well, that was it, he thought to himself as he walked outside to his bike. There's no going back now. He thought for sure after he'd taken the test that he'd feel less nervous, but now he only felt more anxious. He didn't know it it was because he was about to go see Beth or knowing that his results would be available in only a few hours, or many a combination of the two, but he was too damn jumpy.

Taking his phone from his back pocket, he typed out a message to Beth: "Just finished. On my way."

She responded immediately, " _Can't wait to see you,_ " and well, that only made his nervousness worse.

He drove quickly, like he couldn't get to her apartment fast enough, nerves fueling his speed. And he arrived in a little under an hour to a scene he certainly wasn't expecting.

With his bike parked, he walked over towards Beth's apartment, and immediately thought of turning around. Instead of a closed door, he saw her ex-fiance and Beth exchanging words over the threshold of the door. His breath caught in his throat as he came into view, but before he could slink off to let them finish, Beth caught his eye and ushered him over.

He was sweating as he walked towards them. He wasn't thrilled with the idea that Jimmy was here while Beth was alone, but he also didn't want to overstep his boundaries. Jimmy also did not look thrilled that Daryl was there. Not that he had a right to be pissed. Dumbass cheated on the most beautiful girl on the planet. That was his problem, not Daryl's.

"Can you leave now Jimmy? I have company," Daryl heard Beth say as he came close enough to hear their conversation. She flashed Daryl a smile, then went straight back to looking angry at Jimmy.

"This the guy who's motorcycle you were ridin' a few weeks back?" Jimmy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not that it's any of your business," she replied, sounding like she did really want it to be his business, "but _yes._ "

Daryl wondered if he should say something.

Jimmy let out a mean laugh. "Well, _enjoy_ ," he said sarcastically to Daryl, then leaned in close to him so that the box he was holding was almost touching Daryl's chest, "Good luck gettin' her to _put out_. Took me two fuckin' years and even after we were engaged she barely fucked me."

"Guess that means you weren't very good," Daryl answered without hesitation.

Jimmy sneered at him, and for a minute Daryl thought he might hit him, but instead the man spun on his heel and left, leaving Beth and Daryl alone. Daryl looked over at Beth whose eyes were brimming with tears. She wouldn't look at him, only glare after the man she had once planned to marry, her small body was trembling with anger. Without thinking, he slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"Fuck him," Daryl said, shaking his head. "He's an asshole."

She nodded. "Let's go inside," she managed to squeak out, her voice shaking.

Daryl guided her through the open door, closing it behind them. The apartment smelled like cinnamon and fresh cookies. His mouth was starting to water.

"You hungry?" she asked, reading his mind.

"Well sure - Beth, you didn't have to cook for me," he said.

She gave him a wave of the hand to signal that it wasn't a problem. "Wanted to," she said. "It's a big day!" She grinned through her anger. "I even have," she held up a sealed bottle of champagne she picked up from the counter in her kitchen, "some bubbly. For when we get your results," she explained.

Daryl found himself smiling at her. All this, for him. He was in total awe.

"Anyway, I made some cookies for now. Just for a snack. We'll have dinner later, okay? Before we check your scores."

"Sounds great," he answered, taking a seat at her kitchen table. "Beth," he said, a little concerned. "What was Jimmy doing here?"

She huffed, bringing a plate of cookies over to the table. "Picking up the last of his things," she said.

"You okay?"

She nodded, not meeting Daryl's eyes. "Just wish he wasn't so _mean_. I never did anything to him. He's the asshole. He's the cheater."

"You don't deserve that," Daryl said.

She shrugged, taking a cookie from the plate she'd placed on the table. "Sorta did. I put up with it. Didn't do anythin' about it. It's sorta my fault—"

"It's _not,_ " Daryl stressed, putting his palms flat on the table and leaning towards her. "Don't you ever say or even, think that again. Okay?" He watched her, searching for understanding.

She looked up, wide-eyed with a nod.

"Anyway, aren't you gonna ask me how my test went?" He leaned back in the chair.

She let a breath of relief go. "Of course," she said, taking a bite of her cookie. She swallowed. "How'd it go?"

Daryl smiled. "I feel good. And that's all I can ask for, isn't it?"

She grinned back at him with a polite nod. "Well, we have some time to kill while our dinner cooks. I made lasagna." He was chewing on a cookie now, but his mouth watered even more. "I thought we could play," she was saying, reaching towards her back pocket.

His mind wandered. _Play?_

She revealed a deck of cards that she put gently on the table. "You play gin rummy?" she asked.

"I do," he said with a bit of a chuckle. "And I'll kick your ass."

She gave a hearty laugh as she began to deal. "Yeah, we'll see Dixon. We'll see."

* * *

Daryl did not, in fact, kick her ass. Quite the opposite, to Beth's satisfaction, and they laughed about it over dinner.

The lasagna was out of this world. Like nothing he'd ever tasted. Thick and gooey with cheese and rich marinara sauce made from fresh tomatoes. Daryl thought he might be able to eat the entire tray. And after he all but licked his plate clean, Beth brought their dishes back to the sink, then came back towards the table.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"To check your scores," she clarified.

"Oh!" he said in realization, his heart beginning to beat wildly again. "Yeah, I guess."

"C'mon," she said kindly. "We can use my laptop."

So he followed her into the living room where a small silver macbook lay on the coffee table. Beth sat on the love seat and opened it, bringing Daryl to a browser and handing him the device to take over.

He took it, navigating to the GED online portal where he knew he would be able to view whether or not he'd passed. Whether or not he'd gotten his GED. Something he'd always felt like he couldn't do. He was both nervous and excited enough to practically jump out of his skin. His fingers shook as he got himself to the site.

A "view results" button sat next to his name. "Okay," he said nervously, looking at Beth who was close enough so that their shoulders were touching, "I need a 145 on each section to pass it."

She nodded. "Go ahead," she urged him as his finger hovered over the mouse pad.

He clicked, taking his time to read the results. "Social studies, 170," he said aloud, feeling thrilled. "Science, 150. Reading, 166, Mathematics, 196, and…writing, 173. Holy fuck!" he leaned forward to put the computer back on the coffee table in front of them, unable to believe what he'd just read. "I passed."

"You passed!" Beth said excitedly, jumping up to her feet. "You passed!" she yelled louder this time, jumping up and down.

"I passed," Daryl repeated, staring at her in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

She was on him before he could think through what this meant or how it made him feel. Her arms threaded around his neck and she pulled herself on top of him and kissed him, hurriedly. Pushing her lips to his forcefully so that he had no choice but to kiss her back. Not that he wouldn't have otherwise, but she was making sure he didn't pull away.

So he kissed her, tasting her, relishing in the softness of her lips and her small hands on him. He reached up to her waist, tugging her closer towards his body, caressing her without really thinking about it.

And suddenly, as suddenly as she'd kissed him, she pulled back, away and looked at him with wide eyes and dilated pupils.

"Is this, okay?" she asked, searching his face for an answer.

 _Okay? Fuck. This was more than okay…_ "Mmyeah…" he answered, not thinking, practically unable to speak. Somewhere in the back of his mind he'd remembered how she told him she wanted to be only friends but the skin around her lips was so pink and soft and tasty and as she spoke all he wanted to do was devour her again.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Back to fluffy Bethyl! Things are about to get pretty fluffy then a little dramatic, then back to fluffy. I'd say we have about five chapters or so left. Hope you've enjoyed this newest chapter! Thanks for all of the follows and favorites and reviews on all of my previous chapters, they are so very much appreciated. If you liked this chapter (or didn't), please leave a review! :)_

 _As always, please follow me on Twitter camurray4688 and Tumblr caitlinwritesstuff._


	12. Chapter 12

**Graduate**

Chapter 12 - Prove Him Wrong

 ** _A/N:_** _Before we get into it…there's some NSFW stuff in this chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

She knew she was going to kiss him the minute he stepped into the apartment.

He wore a black sleeveless shirt, a pair of worn jeans and ran his hand through his hair. She always thought he was handsome, but today, after being unable to stop thinking about him, after everything that had happened with Jimmy, she just knew it was going to happen.

Jimmy had told Daryl she didn't put out, like she was some kind of Catholic school girl. A _prude_ , Maggie called that type of person. It was ridiculous and embarrassing and hurtful. So, tonight, she'd decided, she was going to prove him wrong. With Daryl. Because they liked each other. And Beth was determined not to be the girl Jimmy made her out to be.

So she'd practically thrown herself at him, but he hadn't seemed to mind. She didn't think he would. She saw the way he'd looked at her, and he'd kissed her before, though timidly and regretfully and only on the forehead.

Tonight though, it was different. He tasted like dinner, a little spicy and fragrant, but still like the man he was. She was straddling him, her knees up to his waist, their groins touching, chests flush together as she kissed. _Made out,_ she supposed. Their mouths engulfed each others, tongues playful, exploring the crevices of each other.

Beth licked her tongue over his bottom lip and felt him smile before he very forwardly tugged her own bottom lip between his teeth. She gasped at the sudden force, her body exploding with sensation. She opened her eyes to look at him, his crystal blue irises barely visible under heavy eyelids as they met gazes.

He left her lips then, his mouth suctioning to the side of her neck, sucking, then kissing all the way up to her ear. She shivered involuntarily in his arms, gripping his shoulders until her fingernails dug into his skin and he arched his back, causing his hips to come up and it was then that she could feel him, the length in his pants.

She ground herself against him, the fabric of her jeans against fabric of his and he shifted with a subtle moan against her neck. She was unsure if he liked it or not, so she tried again and he nuzzled his nose and his cheek with a small intake of breath. He liked it. Noted.

Feeling forward and confident and not at all like someone who didn't _put out_ , she reached to the bottom of her shirt she wore, tugging it upwards and over her shoulders, pulling her arms through and discarding it on the floor.

She looked at Daryl who stared at her chest, his eyes darting back and forth between her breasts, back up to her face, leaning in to kiss her again. She let him, but tugged at his shirt too, pulling it upwards so that he was forced to pull away for a moment and scramble to take it off. Their lips were back together before the garment even hit the floor.

Pressure on her small round mounds, still covered in the fabric of her bra indicated that his hands were no longer just on her waist but had moved to her chest and she pulled away to watch. He was being playful and eager and she liked that, urging him on with a moan, something Jimmy always seemed to like and considering that was the only thing she had to compare this to, she was going to go along with what she knew.

Daryl seemed fine with it, his fingers traveling to her back, slowly and ever so carefully moving over her ribs towards the clasp at the back of her bra and she knew what he wanted to do. She couldn't lie to herself, she was nervous. This was all new for Beth, but she'd be damned if she'd let Jimmy's declaration of her be right.

So she reached behind herself and unclasped her bra, letting the straps fall from her shoulders, while still holding it in place. She looked down, shy, her hair falling in her face and Daryl leaned into her, his nose hitting her chin before she leant in and tasted him again. His hands came up to her own and took her hands in his, away from her chest. Her bra fell away from her, the fabric brushing up against her sensitive flesh and suddenly she was aware of how exposed she was.

He removed the bra, his mouth still over hers, flinging it behind them so it landed somewhere behind the couch. She sunk into him, her nipples gliding over his chest, soft hair in the middle, skin goose fleshed and firm. He dropped her hands and moved back to her waist, up her sides, underneath her breasts, then over them - flat palmed and clunky, like he was afraid to touch her.

She removed her mouth from his and grasped his hand in her own, forcing him to cup her breasts as she gave another theatrical moan, arching her back, baring her chest for him. He took the bait, his mouth covering her entire areola, using his tongue to play with her nipple.

This time she arched her back and moaned, but it wasn't forced. It was real. With Daryl, it seemed, she didn't have to pretend like she did with Jimmy. And that was incredible.

Both bare from the waist up, Beth knew what the next move was, so as he continued to kiss and lick her, she reached down towards the button on his pants. Like an electric shock had touched him, he jumped back, away from her and looked her square in the eyes.

"Beth," he protested. "I don't think—"

"Shh," she said, finger to her lips. "Don't. I need this. I need you. Just, go along with it," she pleaded.

"But," he shook her head, unable to come up with words.

"Don't you like me?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Of course Beth, but I just—"

"Then kiss me," she breathed.

And he did. He kissed her and she shifted to the side so that he could climb over her, his body covering hers as they kissed, their tongues ravaging each others, hands frantic and explorative. She descended again to the button on his pants, popping it open without a problem and undoing the zipper.

He shifted again, uncomfortably. Unsure. He broke away again from her, looking at her - slanted blue eyes you could so easily get lost in. His mouth was open, pink and swollen from kissing, trying to catch his breath. He was searching her face. He wanted to make sure she wanted to do this.

Well, he could search as much as he wanted. She _wanted_ to do this.

His pants were off quickly, but hers, a pair of skinny jeans, she had to practically peel off her legs as Daryl kissed her cheek, ear, neck, breasts, tongue darting wildly around her raised flesh, but she got them off, kicking them off towards the floor with a giggle.

And Daryl smiled too, grinning from ear to ear as he took her in, both of them now only in underwear made from flimsy material, nothing left to the imagination now. He was on top of her again, his erection evident and firm against her belly and groin. It was driving her wild, the hardness of him as he tried to kiss every part of her.

He _smelled_ like desire and she could feel his wetness through his boxers as he pushed up against her again, the tip of him pressing against her most sensitive spot. She squealed without meaning to until finally, she drummed up the confidence to reach for the waistband of his boxers.

Beth peeled those off and Daryl reached for her own underwear. _What's fair is fair_ , she thought to herself, letting him undress her completely, right here, on her own living room couch. And that was it. There was nothing left between them.

He still hovered above her, hesitating, and when she looked down at him, she saw him, pink, practically throbbing with desire, the head of him dripping slowly.

"I have _condoms_ ," she breathed nervously, rolling to the side, trying to rack her brain to where they were. The bathroom seemed logical, so she headed there first, reaching for their spare closet, an unopened box of condoms sitting there on the shelf.

She grabbed them, ripping open the box as she went back towards the living room. Daryl was still on the couch and watched her as she came around, handing him the box.

From it he took a condom, unwrapped the foil pocket and slipped it on. The latex smell wasn't something she particularly enjoyed - it made her think of Jimmy and how he never wanted to have kids, but she tried like hell to push that from her mind as she went towards Daryl.

He was sitting straight up, getting himself ready for her and she slipped her legs over him, unafraid now of being naked or vulnerable and just wanting to feel whole again, she positioned herself straight over him and sank down onto his length.

It was a feeling she wasn't used to. Sure, she'd slept with Jimmy a number of times, but this was _different_ ; a little painful, very satisfying and she gasped as he pushed himself to the hilt, all the way through her, so deep she thought she might explode at that moment. They both paused for a minute to look at each other. It was such an intimate, private thing and Beth realized, suddenly, how well she did _not_ know Daryl.

But, there was no going back. At this moment, they were connected _very_ intimately and Beth found that she really wanted this to mean something. She also found that she didn't know if Daryl wanted it to mean something. And that was a little scary. Regardless, she took her hands to his face, brushing some of his hair out of the way and looked at him, trying to read him.

She began to rock back and forth on top of him and his eyes might as well have rolled into the back of his head at the way he was reacting to her body.

"F—uck," he moaned as she moved her hips, gaining a momentum, feeling a pressure build up inside of her that was hard to explain, except that she wanted to keep going forever until she felt a release.

He felt wide and gratifying inside of her, so much so, that she wasn't sure she could get enough. His hands were on her waist, gripping her like he never wanted to let go, his fingers pressing into her skin hard enough that she would definitely have marks there in the morning. His mouth was open as she worked on him and he watched her, every movement she made, like he was in disbelief.

And before she could really do much more, he'd started his own thrusting from underneath her, pounding into her forcefully, his face screwed up in concentration, eyes locked on her as he pumped his hips. He bit down on his bottom lip, letting out a grunt that it didn't seem he could help.

He was close, she could tell, so she dipped down to kiss him, feeling his movements become more frantic as he dove in and out of her body, and she let him, feeling the anticipation build and build. His hands were on her suddenly, circling the sweetest, most sensitive spot on her body and she almost jumped right off of him, but everything felt so good she couldn't help but mimic his hip movements.

And then, stars erupted behind her eyelids and she shuddered involuntarily on top of him, sounds of pleasure echoing from her mouth, and he was practically slamming himself into her body as he too, let go, releasing himself.

She collapsed to the side, the comedown overwhelming and as his body left hers, she felt a strange sort of emptiness she didn't expect, but laid to the side, letting Daryl clean himself up before he came to lie with her.

He curled up behind her on the couch, both of them still naked and he squeezed her, nuzzling into her neck.

"That was incredible," he said.

And it was. It had been incredible. But she knew, as she laid there with him, that she hadn't been ready for it at all.

* * *

Beth had excused herself from the couch, wrapping herself in one of the throw blankets she kept in a basket in the living room and went into the bathroom, her lower lip trembling.

She wasn't sure what she expected, but she didn't expect _this_. She didn't expect to feel so empty and so sad and of all things, she didn't expect to be thinking about Jimmy. She _hated_ that she was even thinking about him. He'd ruined so much for her. Why couldn't this have just been a fun hook-up like other people had? Why couldn't she have just enjoyed herself instead of getting so emotionally attached?

It wasn't Daryl - he'd been great. Handsome and considerate, even stopping her to make sure she really wanted to sleep with him. And she had. But for all the wrong reasons.

The mirror held her face, pink and flustered, tears creeping out of the corners of her eyes. She let herself cry, only for a minute, as silently as she could, before she wiped her eyes, grabbed a robe from the door and tied it around herself.

When she came back towards the couch, Daryl had already put his pants and shirt back on, fiddling with his hands in his lap. She came to sit next to him on the couch.

"You should go," she said to him, looking at her feet, then back up at him. She wasn't sure why she said it. She didn't really want him to leave.

He looked baffled. "Beth, I don't normally…do this," he said awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," Beth said, shaking her head. "I don't either, I just thought…" she almost said, it's what _I wanted,_ but instead she said, "what you wanted."

"What I wanted?" Daryl replied, raising his eyebrows. "Why would you think that?"

"You…you _kissed_ me!" she exclaimed, angrier than she anticipated, "when we went camping, you kissed me! And isn't this what _all_ men want? Some sex?" she yelled crudely. Her anger was bubbling over, falling out of her mouth without another thought. She was terrified to look at him, but did anyway, her eyes wide and wild.

Daryl looked at her, his mouth wide, like he was struggling for words. "Beth," he said softly. "That ain't me. I ain't like that. I didn't…" he sat forward on the couch, trying to get closer to her, reaching for her, "It's not like I expected this to happen."

"Sure you did," she tried to retort, but he'd grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards the couch.

"Beth, please. I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel badly." She watched him, just to make sure he meant it. "Please," he said kindly. "Please don't. I…I like you. A lot," he admitted, squeezing her hand.

She sat on the couch with him, still, for a moment, and then, without much warning to herself, and certainly no warning to Daryl, she erupted into tears.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _What does this mean for our beloved Beth and Daryl!? Is Beth over Jimmy yet? How does Daryl feel about this all? Dun dun dun…stay tuned! :)_

 _As always, thank you so much for the reviews, likes and favs on this story. Hope you're all still liking it so far! Please leave a review and as always follow me on Twitter camurray4688 and Tumblr caitlinwritesstuff._


	13. Chapter 13

**Graduate**

Chapter 13 - Aftermath

* * *

Daryl had slept with all of five women in his life.

His first was his high school girlfriend who had broken up with him after he'd dropped out. It was a first for both of them, so it was awkward and uncomfortable, as those things always go, but he thought maybe he'd gotten better at it after a few tries. Their relationship lasted two months.

After her, he'd gone a long time before sleeping with another woman again. Merle was pushy every time they'd go out. Wanting to party with girls who most certainly had all types of venereal diseases but probably not all of their teeth. But his second time had been with a girl he'd met during one of those times when Merle was gone and they'd dated for a while and had some fun.

Once that was over, there were a one night stand after an unfortunate night of drinking. Daryl had dressed quickly and gotten the hell out of dodge before she'd even woken up. He wasn't proud to admit that he hadn't even known her name.

The last had been over three years ago - someone he'd met at work. They'd slept together a few times and things were going okay for a while until she demanded to meet the rest of his family and he'd gave her a very firm no. She hadn't liked that and so, things got awkward and Daryl put that fire out quickly.

And then there was Beth.

He'd never been with a woman who cried after sex. He'd seen that kind of crap happen in the movies, but this wasn't a movie. This was real and he liked Beth, a lot, but he'd been hesitant to do this with her in the first place. Now he knew he should have just stopped at kissing her and left it at that, but she'd seemed so _okay_ with it all he hadn't really thought twice.

So he sat on her couch awkwardly holding her shuddering body, listening to her apologize over and over and over again as he tried to assure her it was fine. And it was, he guessed. He didn't care if she cried. But he _did_ care if she was using him like some rebound to her fiancé. Daryl always thought Beth was pretty and wondered what it might be like to be with her, but not like this. Never like this.

She finally stopped crying and offered him some water, which he took. And then, they sat across from each other uncomfortably, both of them looking at their laps.

"I'm sorry I ruined your good news."

"Beth," Daryl said, looking at her again. "You didn't. It's fine. Stop apologizing."

She nodded. "Okay," she said.

"I think maybe…" Daryl looked back at his lap. He had reached peak awkwardness. "I should go."

She looked up then, her eyes still red and swollen, face still on the edge of erupting back into tears. He hoped she wouldn't. He hoped she'd figure all of this out, whatever _the fuck_ she was feeling. He hoped a lot of things, that maybe this would all work out somehow, but right now, they both needed to sort out their own feelings. Especially Beth.

"This was… _nice_ ," he said, saying the first thing that popped into his mind which he immediately knew was wrong by he way her face fell. But he was making his exit now whether it was the right thing to do or not, so he put the water down on the coffee table and headed to the door.

The air outside hit him square in the chest and he stepped over the threshold, turning to say something to her, but was at a loss for words. She stood at the door, looking as empty and sad as ever and he thought maybe he should hug her or kiss or or something - they'd just had sex for gods sake, but instead he shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked the floor.

"I'll call you?" he didn't really mean it as a question and it was so fucking cliche but he didn't know what the right response to this situation was and she sort of just stood there.

"Okay," was all she responded with. "Bye Daryl." And she closed the door.

He walked to his bike, not sure how to feel. The sun had since set, signaling the onset of night, cool air surrounding him pleasantly. He'd needed it after whatever had happened inside Beth's apartment. He was disappointed and frustrated and extremely confused. Also, to his surprise, a little angry. Knowing the worst thing he could have done right now was go back to his apartment to think about this by himself, he dialed Rick's number.

"Hey Daryl," Rick said, picking up on the other end.

"Hey Rick, you busy?" Daryl asked, chewing on his thumbnail.

"Nah. What's up?"

"Wanna to grab a drink at McGinty's?"

Rick's tone lightened. "Hell yeah! Meet you in twenty?" he asked. "Cool if I bring Shane?"

"Sure," Daryl said with a shrug. "See you there."

He shoved the cell phone back in his pocket and got onto his motorcycle, bringing it to life. It roared beneath him and despite himself, he looked over his shoulder at Beth's apartment. He could have sworn he saw a face in her window, but it disappeared quickly. He frowned at himself, just wanting to get away from where he was, away from this moment, away from his feelings and alcohol sure seemed like a good way to do that.

* * *

McGinty's was more crowded than usual, Daryl noticed as he walked inside behind Rick and Shane. Shane was still dressed in his uniform from work, while Rick was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

They sat at the end of bar. Daryl let Shane and Rick talk about work, Shane bitching about some _no good sonofabitch_ and Rick nodding enthusiastically.

The bartender came over towards them. "Whatta'll have boys?" he questioned.

"Miller Lite," Shane responded.

"Bud," Rick said.

"Yuengling," Daryl finished.

He nodded at all of them, heading to the fridge to grab their bottles.

Rick turned to Daryl, clapping his hand on his back. "You okay man?" he asked.

"Yeah," Daryl answered, grabbing the beer from the bartender and taking a long swig. "Just need to cool off."

"What's up?" Shane asked. Nosy son of a bitch.

Daryl shrugged. "Passed my GED," he said casually.

"Fuck yeah!" Rick said, raising his own bottle to clink against Daryl's. Shane did the same with a grin and Daryl forced himself to smile. They all touched bottles, but Rick pulled his away quickly, looking at Daryl suspiciously.

"Thanks," Daryl said, looking away from them.

"Dude," Rick said. "What's really goin' on?"

"Girl trouble?" Shane suggested.

Fucking Shane, Daryl thought. Daryl's face flushed instantly. "No," he lied.

"Beth?" Rick hissed.

Daryl could have slapped him off his chair.

"No," Daryl repeated. " I don't wanna talk about it," he said, taking another drink.

"Beth Greene?" Shane asked under his breath to Rick. "Maggie Greene's sister?"

"Yeah," Rick responded.

"No!" Daryl nearly shouted.

Shane let out a low laugh and took a sip of his own. "Thought that broad was engaged or somethin' to that kid we got a few complaints about."

"Not anymore," Daryl grumbled.

"Ain't she awfully young?" Shane commented, quite rudely.

"What's it to you?" Daryl asked defensively.

Shane grinned at him. "I've been with young girls before," he said. "Good for a night…or _two_ ," he added thoughtfully. "But not much more after that."

"Shane," Rick said warningly.

"Don't wanna talk about it," Daryl grumbled.

"Fine, fine. But you ain't got _no_ business with a girl like that. She'll play you like a fiddle man," Shane chuckled.

Daryl targeted his best death stare at Shane.

" _Shane_ ," Rick shoved his friend to the side, practically knocking him off his stool. "Cut it the fuck out man."

"Whatever, I'm just tryin' to be honest with my man Daryl here," Shane rationalized. "And he appreciates it, don't he?" he asked.

"I fuckin' don't," Daryl answered.

Rick gave a hearty laugh.

"Shane!" a high-pitched voice came from across the bar. The place wasn't very big so Daryl could see down at the other end of the bar were two girls who were climbing off their chairs.

"Ah," Shane said, taking another drink of his beer. "I just _can't_ get out without seein' some girl who wants to get into my pants." He leaned in to Rick then. "I tell ya, that community college is a _godsend._ "

The girls had reached Shane's chair. "Ladies!" he exclaimed giving them a wide grin. They both smiled simultaneously, one twirling her auburn hair, the other wobbling in her ridiculous high heels.

Rick turned towards Daryl and rolled his eyes. "Typical," he laughed.

Daryl tried to laugh in return, but it caught in his throat. He wasn't in the mood to laugh or bullshit or put up with Shane's groupies, but it was better than being home.

"Sure you're okay man?" Rick asked, ignoring Shane and the girls behind him.

"I slept with Beth," Daryl forced himself to say.

"You, _what?"_ Rick exclaimed. "Holy shit man, that was…quick."

"I _know_ ," Daryl grumbled, looking down at his beer.

"So, should we be celebrating, or…?"

"She cried," Daryl said then, looking up at Rick. "Afterwards, she fuckin' cried."

Rick gave him a pained look as he said it, then looked back down at his own beer. "Oh boy," he huffed.

"Yeah."

"It must have been terrible," Rick tried to joke.

"Not funny," Daryl replied.

"Sorry." Rick quickly hid his grin.

"I really like her, but, fuck…I don't know, it was weird. I don't know whether to be angry or feel bad for her, but I wasn't trying to go there with her. She kept insisting that she wanted it and I knew we shouldn't but…I didn't want to upset her or make her think I didn't want her or nothin'."

"Dude," Rick clapped his hand on Daryl's back. "You can't feel bad. Women are crazy."

"Yeah, but that's the thing. She's got a level head. She ain't crazy. That fiancé of hers fucked her up and she needs time to get over it."

Rick met his eyes. "So let her. You like her, give her some time to sort through her shit."

Daryl shrugged, taking another long swig of his beer. "You're right," he said after a moment.

"Hey!" Shane shouted towards he and Rick. "Bein' awfully rude to these lovely ladies."

Rick turned in his seat to meet Shane's new friends. They were tall and thin, decent looking, but seemed a bit sloppy with their arms draped all over Shane's chair and shoulders.

"Hi," Rick said politely. "I'm Rick." He shook both of their hands.

"And Rick is married," Shane commented casually.

They turned towards Daryl next and he nodded at them, not extending his hand. "Daryl," he grumbled.

"And Daryl is _not_ married. Very much single," Shane said towards him with a wink.

Daryl chugged the rest of his beer.

* * *

The night wore on, and on, and on and Daryl had one or two or _three_ too many beers and now he was good and drunk, the warmth radiating through his body, down his throat, across his limbs all the way into his eyeballs. Which were blurry enough to make it look like Rick had two heads. And he was saying something to him.

"I should go home," he tried to say, but it came out with a lot of extra syllables that sounded long and drawn out.

Rick was laughing at him. "You okay man?" he asked.

"Fine," Daryl replied. "Just need…bed."

"Beer?" Shane interjected. That fucker. Daryl had forgotten he was there.

Shane ordered him another beer that appeared in front of Daryl magically. He pushed it away, towards Rick.

"Alright, let's take you home," Rick said finally, hopping off his own stool and going towards his friend. Daryl followed him, and they were outside of the bar before he knew what was happening.

The walk home was spotty, Daryl was certain he almost fell off the sidewalk a few times, but Rick guided him back to his apartment, through the front door and onto the couch where he collapsed, face down, into a pillow.

When he opened his eyes again, with a heavy groan, the room was completely dark and silent. Rick must have left afterwards, Daryl thought, completely disoriented. He was able to locate his cell phone in his back pocket and pulled it out.

 **4:09 AM**

"Fuck," he said, squinting at the screen. He realized he didn't remember a good portion of the last half of his night. He went into his messages next, fearing the worst.

There was nothing there of any significance, so he switched over to his call log. "Oh god," he whispered to himself.

 **Beth Greene 12:37AM - 0:30**

 **Beth Greene 12:39 AM - 0:28**

 **Beth Greene 12: 42 AM - 0:31**

 **Beth Greene 12:50 AM - 9:21**

He'd had a nine minute conversation with Beth, and had no idea what it had been about.

* * *

 **A/N:** Posted practically the same note in my other story, if you've already seen it.

I apologize for taking such a long break between this story. I felt like I was getting some not-so-happy reviews about how I was writing these characters and I needed to just take a step back for a minute and remember that I totally do this for fun. I've been spoiled with really great followers, and I absolutely do appreciate all sorts of feedback (I'm not trying to insinuate that I only want completely positive reviews because - then what's the fun! ;)) but I did need to just take a minute to regroup. Plus like also, life, ya know.

I just want to maybe lay out how I view Beth, especially how I view Beth in an AU. She's a young girl at a vulnerable age in a really crap situation (in this story). She's not perfect and she makes mistakes, just like we all do - she's human, after all. I think mistakes and flaws and all of those messy things makes characters interesting! How they deal with them and recover from them, etc.

Anyway, I guess I just want to say that I'm not sure everyone is going to like the way I write Beth (or any character for that matter). She's a great character and I absolutely felt like her story line was cut way too short on the TV show. I think the fun with fan fiction is that you can really play with these characters and mold them into whoever you want them to be.

On the other hand, I also think that it's totally fair when people get completely invested in fan fiction stories and characters because they're part of a bigger world and that's why we're all on here in the first place. It's just important to remember that these stories are only someone's interpretation of what might happen to these characters if they were in this situation, if something canon never happened, etc. I think it's also important to say that while this is just fanfiction, writing is still an intimate thing and sometimes really, really difficult for people to share.

Okay, I'm done giving my little speech, LOL. Thanks for reading/favoriting/following and reviewing guys, I really appreciate it. It is absolutely helping me to become a better writer which is definitely one of my goals in sharing my writing. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Graduate**

Chapter 14 - Smiles

* * *

She was a bundle of nerves after everything that had happened. She felt awful, embarrassed and confused. Once Daryl had left that night, Beth had called Maggie, sobbing hysterically into the phone. Her older sister had come over to try and calm her down, while simultaneously scolding her for jumping into bed with another man so quickly after Jimmy.

"It's okay to want to move on Bethie," she explained. "But this is awfully fast."

"I know," she'd responded, her head in her hands. "It was a mistake. I feel awful. I feel _stupid_. I messed up."

Maggie had rubbed her back and Beth curled up on the couch, her head in Maggie's lap. "People make mistakes Beth," she said. "If you really like this guy then you should apologize. Start fresh. Give yourself some time to move on from Jimmy."

She'd left about an hour later, leaving Beth to the couch on her own, watching re-runs of Friends on TV. She fell asleep some time after eleven and then woke to a familiar buzzing sensation underneath her pillow.

It was Daryl.

The first three calls had gone through to voicemail, but the fourth one she saw in time to pick up.

He was drunk, she knew instantly, the way he was slurring his words and sort of half yelling at her. He had said some not so nice things. And that was okay, because she knew she deserved them.

So, she let him have his piece and then she'd asked him if he wanted to talk things through tomorrow and he'd agreed. Or rather, sort of grunted his address at her and hung up the phone. So, this morning Beth woke early, dressing in a pair of faded jean shorts and plain black tee. She pulled her hair up, away from her face, into a low ponytail that cascaded down her back.

Worried it was too early, Beth decided to stop at Carol's shop for some bagels, tucking the brown paper bag into her bike basket and pedaling leisurely over to Daryl's apartment.

She parked her bike, staring up at the brick building that looked similar to her own. She was second guessing everything now. It was too early. She should have texted him to tell him she was coming. She should have brought more than bagels. She had a lot to make up for.

Beth found his door and stood in front of it for a few minutes. She considered leaving and coming back later, but realized she _really_ wanted to see Daryl. Even if he told her this wouldn't work out, even if he told her he never wanted to see her again, she didn't want the other night to be the last thing he remembered about her.

So she knocked, her knuckles making a loud _tap tap tap_ on the door.

At first, there was no answer and she felt herself break into a sweat, nervous. She knocked again, this time sounding a bit more frantic and waited, glancing around herself, feeling dumber and dumber by the minute. Until finally, she heard the chain on the other side unlink and the deadbolt click and the door opened.

Daryl looked like _hell_ , hair greasy and sticking up in the back, his blue eyes complimented by deep circles. He was frowning at her, looking a bit confused, wearing a pair of pajama buttons and nothing else.

"Beth?" He said her name with confusion, holding onto the door to get a good look at her, but not exactly inviting her inside. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" she said with surprise, her cheeks flushing a wild shade of red. She knew, by the look on his face, that he didn't remember. "You said…last night, you called…" She was getting redder by the minute, the heat rising from neck all the way to her ears, "…said you wanted to talk. Or that we should talk. That you'd be willing to talk…to me," she finished clumsily, stumbling over her words.

She couldn't bare to look at him, so she looked at her feet instead, clutching the bag of bagels in her hand, grateful she had something to hold on to. He wasn't talking or moving, he was just standing there staring at her.

"Oh," he said finally.

"I can go," Beth said quickly. "I should go. I'm so sorry. I got you some bagels," she said awkwardly, holding out the bag to him.

He cocked his head at her, still frowning. "Beth," he said her name again. "Don't. Go, I mean."

"Listen, I know I said I wouldn't apologize anymore, but I'm _sorry…_ "

Daryl snorted. "Stop apologizin'. It's okay. By the looks of my call log, I may have a thing or two to apologize for myself."

She finally looked up at him. "Can we start over?" she asked. Daryl was giving her a half grin, sort of a smirk, trying to read her face.

"Yeah, sure. Okay," he said with a nod.

She took a deep breath, then stuck out her right hand towards him. He took her hand in his own, his fingers engulfing her own and she tried to not think about the fact that he'd already been inside her when she said, "Hi. I'm Beth Greene."

"Daryl Dixon," he laughed, letting himself burst into full smile as they stood at his door, shaking hands like they'd never met before.

* * *

Days went by and soon, weeks. Traces of autumn were starting to appear in the landscape around them. Beth enjoyed Daryl's company. They ate lunch together a lot. Took rides on his motorcycle. They even went back to the lake to go fishing a few times. But true to their commitment, they were truly starting over.

At first they talked every so often and saw each other once in a while, but soon it had evolved to talking daily and seeing each other almost as often. Putting the awkwardness behind them, Beth and Daryl were able to finally get to know each other. She learned more about his family, how far he'd gone to support Merle and their father. She'd learned about his mother, or at least what Daryl remembered about her.

And Daryl learned about Beth too. About who she was _before_ Jimmy. About her dreams and aspirations and her love of music. He asked all about school, what she was learning and all the classes she was taking. Daryl challenged Beth. He asked her more about _why_ she liked things and wanted her opinions and listened to her ideas. Beth, in turn, did the same for him.

It was refreshing. After being with someone like Jimmy for so long, who made her feel small and stupid and helpless, Daryl made her feel accomplished and strong and happy. Beth found herself listening to more music and writing more poetry - something she'd been passionate about back when she'd lived at the farm with her parents and Maggie.

She thought about Daryl a lot. About the night they'd shared together. And though it made her blush each time she remembered, she couldn't help but relive every minute of it when she'd lie awake at night. How he felt under her fingers. What it was like to kiss him. It was hard to hold back, but she was determined to fix things and so kissing and touching was off the table.

Until the time came where it wasn't anymore.

It was November when Beth finally got up the courage to ask Daryl to dinner. "It's a date?" he'd asked, and she nodded. So he accepted her invitation for that Saturday night.

Beth called Maggie straight away to tell her the good news and ask for a restaurant recommendation. Glenn was behind his wife, shouting congratulations at the phone and Beth flushed pink even though she was alone in her apartment. He'd been rooting for Beth and Daryl to get together ever since she'd started tutoring him.

She picked a simple pair of black pants and a denim button down and brown boots for their meal together. Her nerves were all over the place. She'd spent plenty of time with Daryl before today - they'd gotten to know each other extremely well and she tried to remind herself that this was no different.

Oh, but it was.

He came to pick her up at six. Dressed in a plain pair of jeans and a blue button down shirt that made his eyes look ridiculously gorgeous, Beth tried not to let her nerves show too much as she climbed onto the bike behind him. Her heart was beating so quickly she thought he might feel it as she wrapped her arms around him and they took off.

The restaurant was quiet, small and dark. The pair nibbled on bread while waiting for their dinners. Daryl asked Beth about school, about her classes. Beth asked Daryl how his team at the grocery store was doing. It was casual and effortless, the conversation between them. After two glasses of wine, Beth felt like she was floating. She was smiling so much her cheeks hurt. And Daryl was smiling too. Laughing. Watching her.

They left the restaurant after sharing a delicious chocolate molten lava cake, walking back to Daryl's bike. Beth stopped in front of it, high off their conversation, off how comfortable and easy dinner felt that when Daryl grabbed her arm and spun her around, she was slightly startled.

She looked up at him - those familiar eyes, crooked nose, a small, shy smile on his face. Blue eyes studied her and then, even so slightly, he leaned forward and Beth couldn't help herself. She stood on her tiptoes to come to him - to press her lips to his, soft and plump and tasting of chocolate.

The kiss was soft and small and quick, sending an electric shock through her body, down through her throat all the way to her toes and she melted as she felt his arms come up to cup her face as their lips met again.

He pulled away, his eyes heavy, studying her again.

"Been waiting to do that again for a while," he said with a smile.

"I'm glad you did," she giggled, smiling from ear to ear.

"C'mon. Let's get you home."

And home they went, Daryl walking Beth to her front door with a smile. He kissed her again, eager, but gentle, then bid her a goodnight and went back to his bike.

She couldn't stop smiling. Even after she shut the door, pulled on her pajamas and brushed her teeth. Even when she climbed into bed and replayed that kiss over and over in her mind, she still couldn't stop her grinning, finally falling asleep, her lips still curled up in a smile.

* * *

The next day, Beth called Maggie to fill her in on the date, dragging out every single detail.

"Beth! You sound smitten." She could hear Maggie smile as she said it.

"Well, I—"

"You need to bring him to dinner at the farm next weekend."

"What!" Beth exclaimed. "No!" Sunday dinners at the Greene farm were tradition at least once a month, but usually reserved for family. They had added some members along the way, namely Glenn and Shawn's boyfriend, Paul. But Beth wasn't sure she was quite ready to bring Daryl along. There would be questions. A lot of them.

"Yes. Momma and Daddy are gonna want to meet him eventually, you might as well just get it over with."

Beth sighed. "I'll think about it."

"I'll just have Glenn invite him."

"No!" Beth exclaimed.

"Bring him," Maggie urged. "I'm calling Daddy to tell him you're bringing Daryl. I'll see you Sunday."

With a click, the phone went silent and Beth let out a groan. She stared at her cell phone for a minute, letting it go to black, then navigated to her text message string with Daryl. She smiled when she saw his text from earlier that day.

 _Had a great time last night. Wanna get lunch tomorrow?_

"Yes!" she had responded. "Meet you at Carol's at noon?"

He'd sent back a smiley face, and then: _See you tomorrow._

She wrote out a message, a paragraph, asking if he wanted to come on Sunday, but didn't have to, but if he wanted to, it would be great, but it didn't have to mean anything, and then deleted the entire thing. She thought for a minute about trying to call Maggie to talk her out of calling Hershel and Annette, but instead typed, _You have plans for next Sunday? My parents are hosting dinner. Do you want to come?_

She sent it, let the screen go black, then placed it on her coffee table and paced the room. She stole a few glances, not seeing it light up. She tried to remind herself that Daryl was at work today so he couldn't answer right away.

The phone stayed on the table while Beth went into the kitchen to brew some fresh coffee. She waited for it to finish, prepared her mug, took a few sips, then ran back to the living room to check.

Nothing.

She went back to the kitchen, finished the rest of her coffee. Turned on the radio, fried up an egg and a piece of toast and ate it. Went back to the phone.

Nothing.

She was getting antsy now and hating herself for it. Couldn't she just be content for Daryl to answer when he had a moment? Rationally she knew it was ridiculous to be this anxious but she couldn't help herself.

Things had moved too quickly before so - was asking him to dinner at her parents farm over the top? Was she pushing too quickly this time, again? She suddenly wished she could take back the text. Run to the grocery and delete it from his phone without him noticing. Tell him she'd sent that text to the wrong person. Anything.

And then finally, the phone buzzed across the table.

She stared at it, then picked it up to read what Daryl had said.

 _I'd love to come._

Everything seemed to settle after that. She poured herself another cup of coffee, smiling all the while.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Hi guys! Thanks for all of the great comments and follows and favorites. I think there will only be one more chapter of this story, possibly two. I was going to wait to do the time jump until after this chapter, but Beth and Daryl were just really eager to move past things I think. :)_

 _I've been sort of MIA lately because it's getting to be NaNoWriMo time and I've been trying to flesh out my outline and characters instead of getting to writing. Is anyone doing NaNoWriMo this year? Feel free to add me as a writing buddy on there (kmur4688)._


	15. Chapter 15

**Graduate**

Chapter 15 - Family Dinner

* * *

Daryl spent the majority of the day panicking.

He and Beth hadn't established a _name_ for what they were yet. Was he her boyfriend? He thought on that for a minute, even considered just calling her and asking her, but stopped himself. They'd only had one date. If he went around calling himself her boyfriend now, she might think he was pretty presumptuous.

But they'd slept together. Sure, that had been months ago and the timing was off and things were a little weird for a while, but it still meant something, didn't it? Maybe he was her boyfriend and just didn't know it. Or maybe he was just assuming shit and being a dumbass.

He sat outside and had a cigarette, mulling the impending dinner over in his head.

Glenn would be there, so that would be one familiar face besides Beth. He'd met Maggie a few times in passing, but they'd never really sat down and had a conversation. He knew Beth had a brother. Sam or Scott or something like that. And then, Beth's parents.

Daryl imagined her mother to be equally as beautiful as Beth. Gentle and kind and soft-spoken. The total opposite of what his own mother had been. He imagined her father to be a bit of a hard-ass, but respectable and traditional. Reasonable. Or so he hoped. Daryl wasn't sure _he_ was the man Beth's father would hope she'd bring home. Although, he was pretty sure he was better than that scrawny piece of shit Jimmy.

An image suddenly appeared in his head, of himself riding up to a farm on his motorcycle, Beth's tiny arms wrapped around him. The entire family waiting for them outside in the driveway, her father's eyes bulging at the sound the bike was making, that his youngest daughter was riding such a dangerous vehicle. Another image of later at dinner, the family talking about something smart and important - like politics or literary classics and asking Daryl his thoughts. He wouldn't be able to answer and Beth would regret bringing him to meet her family immediately.

 _Fuck_ , he thought to himself. _Calm your ass down. Everything will be fine. Beth wants you there. She asked you to be there. Just calm the fuck down._

He extinguished his cigarette and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

They rolled up to the Greene farm just how Daryl had imagined, though there was not a crowd of disapproving people waiting for them in the driveway. Rather, Daryl was pleased to see a pair of motorcycles already parked there, before he remembered that Beth had mentioned her brother rode.

 _Got yourself all worked up for nothin'_. He shook his head at himself.

"You okay?" Beth asked, sounding breathless behind him. She'd pulled her helmet off, and was grinning at him. "You're not nervous, are you?" Her hands made their way over his shoulders.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah," he said. "Don't get nervous."

Beth climbed off the motorcycle, landing with two feet in the dirt driveway. "Mmhm," she said, sounding like she didn't quite believe him. Daryl pulled off his own helmet, tucking it away and then turned to face Beth.

She was looking up at him, her hands on her hips, looking ridiculously pretty. He smiled. He couldn't help it. How was it, that he was here, with her, about to meet her family? It didn't feel real. He suddenly wanted to kiss her.

" _What?_ " she asked, breaking him from his thought.

"Nothin'," he replied, shaking his head. "Let's go."

She stayed by his side as they made their way up the porch and through the front door. A group of people were situated in the living area, sitting scattered, talking and laughing and looking up as Daryl and Beth came through the door.

It was a whirlwind. Introductions were made - Daryl to Hershel, Beth's father who had a kind, pleasant face and an equally as pleasant handshake. Daryl to Annette, Beth's mother, who was even more beautiful and hospitable then Daryl had imagined. Daryl to Shawn, Beth's brother who was a large, burly man with an impressive beard and strong handshake. Daryl to Paul, Shawn's boyfriend, a thin, handsome man with long hair, pulled back into a ponytail and a wide, genuine smile. And of course, Maggie, Glenn and Hershel Jr.

"Daryl," Annette was saying to him. "Hope you like fried chicken and mashed potatoes."

"Oh, yes ma'am, that sounds amazin'," he said with a smile.

"You need any help with dinner mama?" Beth asked beside him.

He froze slightly as Annette nodded, standing from the couch. "Sure Bethie, come on Maggie," she called both of her daughters after her. They followed, leaving Daryl standing in the room feeling alone and awkward.

"Come on and sit down," Glenn offered, taking his son from Maggie's arms as she moved to leave the room.

Daryl nodded his thanks, sitting in the seat that Maggie had stood from and tried to not sweat all over the Greene's living room furniture.

"We were just talkin' about the Bonneville T-100's Shawn and Paul just bought," Hershel said to Daryl. "Beth tells us you're also a biker."

Daryl let his face erupt into a smile. _Shit, motorcycles? Could talk about this for days._ "Yes sir," Daryl nodded. "Got a Harley Sportster right out in the driveway. She's treated me real good the past few years."

Shawn's eyes had widened. "Can we take a look?" he asked.

"Hell yeah!" Daryl exclaimed, giving a side glance to Hershel. _Shit, ten minutes and you couldn't manage not swearing_. But Hershel just smiled as the men all got up to venture outside and compare bikes.

* * *

Daryl and Shawn and Paul and Glenn and Hershel were so wrapped up in their conversation outside that Beth had to call them twice inside for dinner. She stood on the porch, smirking at Daryl who looked up at her with a wide grin, sheepishly leaving the bikes behind.

"How're you doin'?" she asked him in a small whisper as he came up the stairs, hanging back for a minute as everyone else went inside.

Feeling like he was on top of the world and so foolish that he'd thought Beth's family would be anything but awesome, he bent down and swept Beth up with a kiss, his hands at the side of her face, his own lips searching hers that curled up in a smile as they found each other. He touched his forehead against hers and said, "Great. Let's eat."

Beth giggled, her bright blue eyes sparkling and reached for his hand. He let her take it and lead him inside.

They ate at the kitchen table which was set and covered with bowls and platters and all sorts of food - enough to feel three times the amount of people in the room. Annette set a beer in front of Daryl and patted him on the shoulder, like she'd known him his entire life and he suddenly felt very warm inside.

"Beth, can you please say grace?" Hershel asked from the head of the table and Daryl followed Beth's lead, folding his hands and putting his head down.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." Beth tapped Daryl's arm and he looked towards her. She nodded towards dinner as if to say, _dig in_!

"Annette, you've outdone yourself," Paul said, scooping some mashed potatoes onto his plate. "This looks incredible!"

"Amazin'," Daryl agreed, getting a few pieces of cornbread for himself.

"Oh, it's nothin'," Annette waved her hand. "I love cookin' for ya'll." She smiled, her cheeks raising with a small pink tinge to them, similar how Beth looked when she got all embarrassed. Daryl had been so afraid of feeling out of place and uncomfortable, that he was even more surprised to feel perfectly comfortable with everyone sitting around the table.

"So Daryl," Hershel said, between bites. "I heard you got your GED a few months back, and now you're top manager at Glenn's grocery?"

Daryl swallowed, slightly nervous. He could feel his face starting to tinge red. What must these fine people think of him, a man of his age, only _just_ getting his GED. "Yes sir," he managed to mumble. "Couldn't have passed without Beth, and couldn't have done any of it without Glenn."

"You did all the hard work yourself, Daryl," Beth said, putting her hand on his back.

He shrugged.

"Daryl's our best employee. Don't tell the others I said that," Glenn said with a wink. "Store wouldn't be thriving so well without him."

"Well, I think it's great," Hershel said with a smile, going back to his dinner.

Daryl smiled to himself, and looked at Beth who tightened her grip around to his side, pulling him in for a squeeze. God, this felt good.

* * *

After their hearty dinner, Annette and Beth brought out six pies and a whole tub of freshly churned ice cream. Daryl had never had a meal like this. Eating at Beth's came close, but there was just something about sitting around a table with a bunch of friendly people, none of whom even remotely looked down on Daryl, that just made him feel good. It made him feel welcome. Like a family he'd never had.

They sat around for a while, the sun setting early, chatting about bikes and the grocery and good beer. Beth talked about school, Maggie talked about the baby, who was getting bigger and bigger every time Daryl saw him and Paul talked about his job at the local hospital. It was effortless, which was new to Daryl. Usually he felt awkward or forced when trying to have a conversation with people he didn't know, but he found himself conversing without any second thoughts.

And then finally, it was time to leave. Annette gave Daryl a big hug and Hershel gave him a strong handshake and told him how wonderful it was to meet him and he and Beth were on their way again.

When they got back to her apartment, Daryl walked her to her door, like he always did, and Beth turned around to face him. "Thank you for coming," she said.

"Wouldn't have missed it for anythin'," Daryl said honestly. "I had a great time. Thanks for invitin' me…your family is…"

"Loud?" she interjected with a laugh, unlocking her door.

Daryl shook his head. "Awesome."

She laughed again. "Well, they loved you." The door was open now and she turned around quickly, spinning on her heel. "Do you want to…come in?" She blushed, looking at her feet. "Not like that or anythin' - but, just to hang out for a little?"

Daryl's heart picked up its pace. "Yeah," he nodded.

He hadn't really been over to Beth's since _that night_. A few times, briefly, while he was waiting for her to get ready when he picked her up, but for the most part they'd been going out around town, not to each others apartments. And that had been okay. Being here now though, made him slightly nervous.

"Do you want some water?" Beth asked casually, throwing her purse and jacket to the side. Daryl removed his own jacket and went to sit on the couch, before realizing that was where they'd had sex the last night he'd been here. He stood up abruptly.

"Oh, um, sure." He looked at Beth awkwardly.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Why don't you find something to watch on television?" she suggested.

"Cool," he said, fumbling for the remote and sitting back down on the couch. He settled on the food network, as she came over with their drinks. She placed them on the table and sat back against the couch next to him.

He pulled his arm out and slipped it around her, wishing his nerves would calm. She leaned into him, fitting perfectly in the crook of his arm and as they sat and watched four people compete on _Chopped_ , he thought he might have never been happier.

She curled up even closer towards him, if that was possible and lifted her face slightly to his so that he felt her forehead against his chin. She wanted to be close. She wanted to be kissed, so he shifted so that he could take her lips in his own, tasting her and really kissing her this time, their lips wet, ferociously working against each other.

Beth broke away and smiled at him. "This okay?" she asked, sounding like she couldn't catch her breath.

"More than okay."

And it was. It would always be more than okay with Beth. Daryl felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

 **THE END.**

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hi guys. I was going to continue but, this just felt like the natural end for me. Plus with starting NaNoWriMo in a week, I wanted to get this wrapped up so it wasn't sitting for an entire month. Thank you everyone who's followed along so far, favoriting and following and reviewing. You guys are so wonderful!_

 _I hope you all enjoyed this story. Please leave a review if you did! (Or didn't.) I'm just glad I got through my first Bethyl AU! It was an adventure for sure._

 _Today is a big day - S7 premiere! Hope it's not too painful for all of us. I'll be live tweeting on my Twitter, so come follow and watch with me camurray4688._

 _Until next time, my friends! If you enjoyed this story, please check out my other stories, "All I Ever Will Be" (complete), "Don't You Remember?" (complete), Forbidden (in progress but kind of on hold for now,) and "If I Could Breathe" (in progress). Also, if anyone is participating in NaNoWriMo, feel free to add me: kmur4688._


End file.
